The Story: of Peri Wolf
by Patience1351
Summary: What if Phoebe and Cole’s baby had survived somehow, who would that child grow up to be, and how will Phoebe react when she finds out the child she long ago accepted was gone is far from gone, 22 years old, and defiantly not the core of all evil. Do not o
1. Of questions and contemplations

What if Phoebe and Cole's baby had survived somehow, who would that child grow up to be, and how will Phoebe react when she finds out the child she long ago accepted was dead shows up on her door 22 years old, and defiantly not the core of all evil. Do not own charmed or anything else I could get sued for.

P.S the 'defiantly not the core of all evil' has a point other than a typo that will reveal itself later in the story.

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"Miss Wolf, what famous philosopher said, "It is in justice that the ordering of society is centered.?" Peri Wolf did not like being called upon by her college law professor. He always seemed to find something wrong with her answers even though he had never been able to give her a failing grade, she knew every time he called on her he was looking for a way to deduct points in group participation. Peri thought this was mostly due to the fact that every student in his classes was somewhat scared of him, except of course herself, but then again what's a harsh college professor compared to a warlock or vicious demon. 

"Miss Wolf, I asked you a question!" barked the professor, making Peri snap out of her thought pattern. _Oh crap what was the question,_ Peri thought frantically to herself,_ oh yeah the Aristotle quote._ "Aristotle." Peri's short answer did not seem to satisfy her professor, but it was the correct one, and with a huff he continued on with his lecture as if he had never asked the question in the first place. When the class ended Peri set off to P3 a local club her and her friends frequented, but this time she had a reason other than relaxing with her friends after a hard day, no this time she was going there to fight a demon something she had hoped to avoid, but would not leave her alone…

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"How are my favorite girls doing?" Phoebe smiled up at her husband as he bent down to ruffle their youngest daughter's hair, who was currently residing in Phoebe's lap while they read the latest ask Phoebe column which was more of a cover story than a blog now.

"How was work?" Coop had just started as marriage counselor at the community center, after going to college to get his masters in psychology. Phoebe knew how hard it was for him to give up being a cupid, and this job seemed a perfect way for him to get a little of that back.

"It was great, but I really missed hanging out with my best gals. How about you did yeah miss me?" Phoebe laughed, and nodded in the affirmative. While their little girl jumped out of her mothers lap only to jump into her father's arms.

"We missed you all day, do you have to leave again tomorrow to go to your JOB?" The little girl stressed the word job as only a miniature of her mother could, and giggled when her father tickled her sides and hoisted her onto his shoulders.

"I don't have to go to work right now so how about you and I go get some ice cream from the kitchen before dinner?" As Coop and little Angela left to go into the kitchen to spoil their appetite, Phoebe contemplated how lucky she was to have been blessed with such an amazing life, and yet she felt as if something was missing. Though she quickly discounted this thought figuring it was just her old self-destructive trying to creep up on her, and joined her husband and daughter ridding herself of any doubt that could mess up such a perfect moment as the one she encountered in her flats kitchen. Both father and daughter were elbowing each other as they playfully argued over which was better chocolate or vanilla…Phoebe truly had everything she ever wanted, a great husband who loved her unconditionally, a beautiful family that included three daughters, her sisters, nieces and nephews, a job she loved, and for the most part demon free, yet still Phoebe couldn't shake the feeling that their was something or someone. What she didn't know was that someone was closer than she knew, and on her way to P3.

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The time-line may be a little off, but I'm going to try and get it as close as I can to the real deal, Thanks for reading will update soon. R&R it feeds my muse. 


	2. Of thoughts and premonitions

R&R, if you want, if not please kindly go DIAF.

P.S just kidding, or am I:-)

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Peri's vision happened outside P3, in the parking lot, but when Peri got to the site of her premonition. All she saw was an empty lot, no demon, and no woman in trouble nothing.

She tried to think back to the vision, by closing her eyes and seeing all the details she could remember.

_The daylight was waning, as bright yellows and reds consumed the lower part of the sky. A young women was walking under an awning that held the P3 logo on it, as the woman used her key to unlock the doors, a tall savage looking demon shimmered behind her. Grabbing the woman the demon held an anthemia to her throat and, before the woman could gasp enough air to scream the anthemia was plunged into her throat forever silencing any sound that might have escaped…_ Peri was thrown out of the vision again her breath coming fast and hard, as she put together all the pieces of her vision only to realize she was too early for the sun was still high in the sky, and her premonition must have taken place later in the day. She decided to wait it out fearing if she left and came back later she might be too late. Sitting down on the side-walk overlooking the parking lot Peri thought of the woman she saw in her premonition, she was in her forties with long brown hair that was tightly woven in an intricate braid, she was short, but seemed very confident which made her seem much more prominent than her size would have suggested. Peri couldn't help, but be sickened at the thought of what looked to be such a strong woman dieing without even getting the chance to see the face of her attacker, but then she reminded herself that, that woman whoever she was wouldn't ever have to know such a feeling, for she planned to take the demon out before he had a chance to harm anyone ever again.

It had been a few months since her last premonition, and she couldn't help, but be disappointed this morning when she picked up a P3 poster on campus, and had her flash. It had seemed that she might be able to escape if only for a little while the stressfulness of demon hunting, and the pain. Peri had, had a white-lighter for a time, but then well the Wicca world had it's price, it's virtues, and of course it's demons, and for Peri Wolf no price was greater than the death of her White-lighter a man she had come to rely on, even love.

Five years, eight months, and two weeks ago: _She held him in her arms having T.K the arrow out of his gaping chest wound. Lying on the ash and soot covered floors of the underworld watching as his blood fled from his body at a terrifying speed, it seemed so surreal, so horrifying. Her brain wasn't controlling her actions everything was on auto pilot, her arms grasping his, her voice's high uncontrollable octaves as she cried for help, the way the tears fell rapidly from her eyes onto his chest, and the undeniable quake of her body as she recognized when he took his last fleeting breath…_

Peri came out of her memories, with tears forming behind her eyes, and her heart wrenching in that familiar way. It had be so long, yet still she felt his loss, still she mourned, and still she fought in his memory. Though things were admittedly harder since she had no one to heal her when she got hurt, which made for some interesting ER visits, and other hard to explain scars that marred her porcelain skin. Of course the emotional scars left behind were much more painful than any physical ones, but having gone through life in control of her emotions, Peri kept most of the unpleasant ones at bay. After all life goes on with or without those lost in the fray, and she would be damned if she'd let another demon hurt her or anyone else she loved.

As Peri lifted her head from it's resting position on her knees, she realized the sun was sitting on the horizon with all the magnificent it had held in her premonition, and as if on cue a blue mini-van pulled into the P3 parking lot, and the woman from her premonition stepped out…

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Thanks for the comments; nothing sparks a writer's imagination like getting feedback from her readers. R&R will update very soon next chapter in progress. ;-) 


	3. Of Attacks and interrogations

Sorry about the wait, holiday shopping was hell on my muse.

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Peri was hurled against a brick wall, only to duck a sudden blast shot in her direction. Quickly she did a roll to one side then another each time avoiding a deadly blast of fire. She couldn't help, but be perturbed since the demon she had killed just moments ago her 'innocent' had been trying very convincingly to send her where Peri had just sent the foul demon. It didn't make sense nothing had gone the way it should have, and since when did innocents become so violent, this and some other colorful words were what was going through Peri's head at the time, which caused her to momentarily be distracted and give the perfect opening for one of the blasts thrown by the woman to hit her squarely in the chest knocking her back into the wall and into a sea of confusion and then darkness…

Peri woke to the sound of elephants pounding their way towards her, and the feel of tightly woven rope binding her to a very solid wooden chair. In her confusion she didn't notice the three women surrounding her or the fact that it wasn't elephants coming towards her but two very large teenager boys bounding their way up a flight of stairs. She also didn't notice the crystals that circled her, or the fact that seconds later when she tried to shimmer out she would only be knocked unceremoniously to the ground her binds and the chair also fallen to the ground and a few feet away from her. As her vision began to focus her mind did as well, and she recognized one of the women as her innocent, and the two others she had never seen before, though they all had striking similarities to one another. She also noted the two boys standing in the corner both looking at her with interest both tightly strung with anxiety, Peri recognized their stances, when she had first started demon hunting her body would thrum with angst before a battle. She couldn't help but think that was exactly what theses two were expecting, a battle. Though no one had spoken many questions hung in the air, Peri's most obvious one was why her innocent viewed her as a threat, her second being whether said innocent was a demon. Peri quickly recounted the people in the room figuring they all had some type of power, and realized her odds of getting out of this situation unscathed if she were forced to fight her way out were about one to not going to happen.

"Who sent you?" This came from one of the boys, Peri, figured he was the younger of the two but not by much. She couldn't help but be impressed by his courage. Since it was obvious everyone in the room viewed her as a great threat even if she wasn't quite sure why yet. Peri was about to answer him when one of the women stepped forward cutting Peri off with a question of her own.

"What demon name do you go by?" Peri's replay she would later regret, but as always her mouth spoke before her mind could.

"I could ask you the same question, my god you could be a freaking vampire with that skin, oh and a thank you would be nice for saving you friends ass, only for her too…" Peri stopped looking down at her chest, only to realize there was no mark where she had been hit, and thinking back a hit like that would have killed her, unless. "Your witches?"

Peri smiled and sat the chair that had been knocked down when she tried to shimmer out back into an upright position, and sat down shaking her head and fighting off the urge to start laughing uncontrollably. She could almost feel the shocked faces on all in the room, and she couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at the irony of the situation. Her innocent was a witch, who she saved from a demon, and in doing so, and using her demonic abilities she convinced her innocent that she herself was a demon, a claim Peri would admit to not being very far off target.

"Why are you laughing?" The eldest boy asked the room. To which the youngest answered. "I believe she might be crazy." Of course this only furthered Peri's state and further confused those around her. Peri calmed down a bit and then started to explain.

"My name is Peri Wolf, I'm a law student at SFU, and if my instincts are correct there's been a huge misunderstanding." Peri's words were met with blank stares, so she continued.

"I had a premonition this morning of you" She indicated her innocent. " being attacked by a demon, so when I went to P3 to make sure my premonition wouldn't come to be, during the fight you must have seen me throw a fire ball, which as witches you know to be a demonic power. I accept your reaction to that it's not a pretty power, but please understand I meant you no harm." Peri's explanation didn't seem to faze them, and this was backed by the suspicious looks that were thrown her way.

"You expect us to believe that you with your demonic powers, were there to save our sister from another demon? Well that's it we've lost all respect from the magical community if they think we can be duped that easily." This was from the pale one who had spoken to Peri earlier.

"Maybe they think we're getting old and senile." Peri recognized the voice of her innocent, and couldn't help, but feel defeated as she realized they hadn't believed her.

"I'm not lying!" Peri felt like screaming with frustration she didn't have time for this, but then tried a quieter approach.

"Yes, I have demonic powers, but I also have Wicca powers. I'm a witch, and if you count demonic powers as being a demon well I guess I'm that too. But it's not your powers that make you evil it's how you use them. I saved you sister tonight, that should at least tell you I'm not trying to kill her or any of you." Peri saw that she had struck a chord somewhere cause they seemed to be mulling over her words, especially the eldest sister, her innocent. Things were looking up until she spotted the time on an old grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Peri knew that if she didn't get out very soon it wouldn't matter whether they trusted her or not she would be dead meat. Quickly abandoning any hope of gaining any ground with the witches, Peri T.K one of the crystals surrounding her, and before the array of spells and blasts hit her, Peri Wolf shimmered out as a fire blast, lighting bolt and a chair flew through her fading image, and smashed into the grandfather clock shattering it to smithereens…

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R&R it's like kindle to the fire. Another chapter after the holidays are over, and I promise the next chapter will be more revealing for both Peri and two very special someone's.

I know the clock things been done a thousand times, but I couldn't resist. I swear the way that thing would break theres no way they didn't have to buy a new one everytime;-)


	4. Of shocks and realizations

This is from the Phoebe's point of view during Peri's interrogation.

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It had been a very long time since Phoebe had received a family emergency call from Piper, in fact they hardly ever got together for a vanquish since Wyatt and Chris were old enough to help with the demons, and it was a rare thing to find a demon stupid enough to try and take out the Charmed ones or the Twice Blessed child. So when Piper had called her out of her GYNO's office she had prepared herself for the meanest nastiest demon they had faced to date. Of course when she got to the manner, and was faced with a simple young woman who didn't even look old enough to be allowed into P3, and who Wyatt was healing from a rather nasty chest wound, she was a little more than confused.

"I thought White Lighters couldn't heal demons?" Phoebe heard her nephew Chris say, and couldn't help but agree that it was strange that Wyatt was able to heal her so efficiently. Still unnoticed, as she stayed hidden in the entryway to the attic, she watched as they tied the girl to a chair and then circle her in a crystal charged cage.

"I thought you said you injured it?" This came from Paige who orbed in while they were tying the girl up.

"I healed her." Wyatt said with a smug look playing across his face. Healing was a new thing for Wyatt, and it seemed the more he did it the better he could heal, Phoebe thought this might be the reason he could heal the supposed demon, but still healing was for the good witches and humans, demons usually could heal themselves for the most part. Paige voiced Phoebe's thoughts of course at the end of it she asked something Phoebe hadn't thought of.

"Since when do we heal demons?" Phoebe supposed it was because the girl looked too human, and…No not familiar Phoebe consoled herself, she couldn't be familiar as she had never seen her before, but still there was something about her eyes which she had seen briefly flutter open, and that dark hair that seemed similar, to someone she had known what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Piper was staring at the girl who sat limp in the chair, and who like in deep sleep muttered nonsensical things. Phoebe came into the room further making her presence known to her sisters and nephews, she received their acknowledgements, and took her place next to Piper and Paige who were waiting for the girl to reach consciousness.

"Wyatt, Chris, why don't you go down stairs, and get a few potions just incase." Piper instructed the two, and they sat off down the stairs.

"Do you really think we'll need that, I mean she is surrounded by the crystals, not to mention tied up?" Phoebe couldn't help but ask as she tried to get a better look at the girl's face, but it was obscured by her long hair, and slumped position.

"I don't know what she is, but she's powerful and demonic. She killed the demon that attacked me with a fireball something that's something only upper level demons have." Piper said, though her eyes never left the girl.

"Wait a second she killed the demon that attacked you? Why would she do that if she was trying to kill you?" Phoebe didn't know why she was trying to defend the possible threat to her family, and if she was truthful too herself she really didn't want to analyze why.

"It probably just didn't want to share credit for the kill." Phoebe almost laughed at her youngest sister, it seemed with the years Paige's overly sarcastic remarks had become darker and more cynical; it was a far cry from the loving wife and mother she was with her husband and kids. Of course Piper agreed with Paige, but Phoebe wasn't quite certain. If all she wanted was credit she would have let the demon kill Piper, and then killed the demon and taken credit for the kill, unless she was a demon with morals which seemed unlikely.

As Phoebe was about to voice her concern for the girl's innocence, she started to stir. All thoughts of innocence were wiped from Phoebe's mind when the girl tried shimmer out, and was thrown back to the ground only having escaped from the ropes that tied her, confirming she was a demon after all. Phoebe subconsciously heard Wyatt and Chris coming up the stairs with the potions Piper had asked for, but all her conscious thought was focused on the girl…No young woman she commended for the look her eyes was one only those who had truly lived could claim. The young woman look confused, unfocused, and yet she seemed to have something to say, but was cut off by Chris, and Phoebe couldn't help, but wonder the same "who sent you", but If it had been Phoebe it would have gone something like "Who are you", but of course she couldn't ask this because then she would have to reveal to her sisters where her train of thought was going, and that would be a slippery slope that lead no place good. It seemed the young woman was about to answer but was yet again cut off, this time by Paige.

"What demon name do you go by?" Phoebe realized that her sister was trying to get a name they could look up in the book of shadows, but she felt apprehensive that perhaps they were looking at things from a slanted point of view. After all she did save Piper's life, although Phoebe realized she didn't know the whole story so maybe the young woman did attack Piper after killing the demon.

Phoebe missed the first part of the young woman's reply, but caught the last part… "a freaking vampire with that skin, oh and a thank you would be nice for saving you friends ass, only for her too…" Phoebe watched the young woman look down at where she had been injured before Wyatt healed her, and then look up to the five of them, as if she had just had an epiphany, and questioned "Your witches?" Phoebe was shocked by her question, because it meant that she hadn't even known what they were, and if so why would she attack Piper, unless Phoebe conceded she was pretending she hadn't known about them being witches.

Then the girl started to smile as if totally bemused by the whole situation, as she sat up the chair to sit down in, Phoebe's heart almost stopped which for a woman going up in years wasn't a very good thing. All her attention was focused on that smile, there was no doubt in her mind she'd seen it before, she just couldn't bring herself to summon up the image of the person who's smile was currently playing across the young woman's face. She heard Wyatt and Chris questioning why the young woman was acting so strangely for someone in her position, to which the woman answered.

"My name is Peri Wolf, I'm a law student at SFU, and if my instincts are correct there's been a huge misunderstanding." Though Phoebe heard the young woman her mind didn't fully register more then her first name, Peri, a P name a very odd P name, the exact name she had been mulling over for her first child the one that she let go, and pretended never happened, and Phoebe being someone who never really believed in coincidence, was trying very, very hard to believe this time it was a coincidence. Phoebe's mind rationalized that it was perfectly possible that she was just looking for signs of something that wasn't really there, and it seemed to fit considering her doubts earlier in the day about something missing. That was it she was just trying to find something when there was nothing, Phoebe was quite content with this rationalization it fit, and it also meant she could vanquish the knot that had started low in her belly and crept it's way up to her heart. Of course like every good denial it came to an end, in fact it came in the form of the young woman's next sentence.

"I had a premonition this morning of you" Phoebe saw her nod to Piper, and then continue. " being attacked by a demon, so when I went to P3 to make sure my premonition wouldn't come to be, during the fight you must have seen me throw a fire ball, which as witches you know to be a demonic power. I accept your reaction to that it's not a pretty power, but please understand I meant you no harm." Premonition that word rang loudly in Phoebe's head over and over, she had a premonition, that wasn't a demonic power, their were demonic seers who could see into the future, but non that had premonitions, at least not like the young woman had described. Phoebe was at a loss for words, which she really couldn't account for, of course her sisters were not, and while they could completely disregarded their captives explanations, Phoebe was finding it very hard to do so with such ease, this was magnified by the young woman's cry that she was not lying, and yet again when she began to plead her case.

"Yes, I have demonic powers, but I also have Wicca powers. I'm a witch, and if you count demonic powers as being a demon well I guess I'm that too. But it's not your powers that make you evil it's how you use them. I saved you sister tonight, that should at least tell you I'm not trying to kill her or any of you." She remembered someone else using the same reasoning when he had tried to convince her that demonic powers were only demonic when used by evil. She saved Piper, she had premonitions, she threw fireballs, she could shimmer, combine all of them and you've got hers and his powers. Phoebe felt as if her world was falling apart, and all she could do was stand there and watch, she knew that her sisters were coming around, but that didn't matter because of what the girl did next. Phoebe watched it as if slow motion, she made no move to help or attack, but simply watched as Peri, T.K one of the crystals far enough so that it broke the circle, and shimmered out as her sisters and nephew's attacks missed her by a fraction of a second. And Phoebe did nothing, said nothing, her body rigid as if frozen in place, the only thought on her mind as her family was busy yelling at each other over the escaped captive, and the shattered clock, was one simple yet weighted thought, _How did she survive…_

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Okay I know I said there wouldn't be another chapter up until after the holidays, but in-between nieces and nephews excitement over the holidays and, my dear brothers penchant for dropping food trays, my thought bunny sprang to life. I hadn't originally planned to do anything from Phoebe's point of view during the interrogation, but when I reread the third chapter it seemed odd that Phoebe didn't say anything, and while I knew why, I realized you had no way of knowing. So here you go, I hope you all enjoyed and will return for later chapters.

R&R it's like a little present in my comment box.


	5. Of nightmares and convictions

Okay so I know I said I'd wait till after the holidays for another chapter, but all your reviews got me excited and when that happens I write, so here you go Chapter Five.

P.S I Own Nothing, Noda, Zilch, it all belongs to the people it belongs to, not me.

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_How do I tell him? Peri mouthed to herself looking over the test results. It didn't make since it had only happened once after a demon attack, but she guessed that was enough to send her life, and his upside down. She walked down the corridor of the medical care center in a daze dodging patients and doctors alike, in a mad rush to find some fresh air that didn't smell like some mixture of must and sanitizer. She made it halfway to the exit, but no further, for before she could take another step towards her destination, she was grabbed from behind, and pulled into an empty hallway, her mouth covered, her scream muffled…_Peri felt the creeping sensation that these memories she had been having more and more frequently were not likely to go away anytime soon. Though she didn't understand why four months shy of six years she would still be having these flash backs she supposed it had something to do with her recent premonition. It seemed every time she fought a demon or a warlock or any other nefarious being that catapulted itself into her life, all she could do was think about that day. It still amazed her that out of a life time of struggle all it took was one day to permanently imbed itself in her mind wiping out all the rest for they paled in comparison to that twenty-four hour hell that happened almost six years ago. Though she tried not to dwell on the past, she found it hard not to play the 'what if' game once in a while. It started with 'what if' she hadn't gone to the hospital that day, and in ended with 'what if' they ever found out.

Getting back to the present Peri thought about her day, and how hellishly long it had been. From her premonition this morning, to her professor's endless lecture, to vanquishing a demon, only to have her innocent try and do the same to her, and then being held captive by said innocent, only to escape having accomplished nothing in convincing them she wasn't after all one of the bad guys. Then of course there was what came after which just propelled her day from bad to worse. Sitting up in her small twin sized bed, figuring sleep wasn't going to be attainable anytime soon, she got up to put on her robe, and continued to exit her room which was connected to her pint sized kitchen. Peri supposed her two-bedroom apartment couldn't get much smaller, but it was close to her college which since she was a TA meant it was also job adjacent. Plus she didn't need much, it hadn't been long ago that she had been living in a group home, but since she started college three years ago and moved into her apartment she couldn't help, but call it home. As she sat down in one of the three chairs that were facing the kitchen counter, she went over the events of the day in her head. She still couldn't believe she had to shimmer out just as she was making some headway with her innocent, and the other witches. She also figured they would be coming after her; she knew this because that's exactly what she would do in their shoes. But Peri conceded some things were more important than proving her innocence to a bunch of strangers, in fact there were only really two things in the entire world that she would face a tirade of magical attacks for, and those two were what had made her shimmer out in a flash. Peri felt responsible for what seemed like a never-ending probation the state and a very angry social worker had put her on. She considered it a small price to pay for the reward she got from it. Though it had been playing hell on her schedule lately, she had to check in with the social worker every night at seven-thirty sharp, and if she didn't show she would undoubtedly loose all that she had worked so hard to keep. It hadn't been that huge a problem until today, since she had taken morning classes so she would never be late for a session, but what she hadn't taken into account was the witch emergencies since it was obvious she couldn't schedule those. This was a very troubling thing for Peri since she knew she couldn't miss those appointments because then she would loose everything that meant anything to her, and she also knew she could never leave an innocent in danger to make said appointment if the situation ever did arise. It was almost a godsend that she hadn't had a demon attack in so long, or a premonition for that matter, but as it went today that small time of quiet was about to come to an abrupt end. Peri sighed and made her way back to her room if only to just lie awake in bed, on her way though she stopped at the second bedroom where she quietly peeked her head in to spy upon its occupants. Peri thought back seven years ago when she had run away from her sixtieth foster home, the one that had been the most brutal in her fifteen years as a foster child whom had never been adopted by a loving family like so many of her foster siblings had. The state had called her a ward, but to Peri it seemed more like a warden kept her, and after her powers had started to emerge beyond the occasional premonitions she had, had as far back as she could remember, her foster parents had been very, very unpleasant. She had never dreamed that leaving that hell would one day almost make her loose everything. They had said she was unfit; she was a runaway how could she handle such a responsibility when she had walked away from a perfectly good home, and still a teenager no less. Peri had persevered though, she figured if she could fight demons, she could fight the legal system which was one of the reasons she was studying to become a lawyer, and so as she looked in on her two little miracles, she knew that no matter what she would make things work, and no one would ever hurt them the way she had been hurt so many times. Gently she closed the door, and almost noiselessly said "Goodnight, my children."…

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Dun, dun, dun… I know shocker huh? More on this in later chapters, again sorry the chapter is so short, but I promise there will be more, I keep saying after the holidays, but it seems my thought patterns keep turning back to this story, and won't leave me alone until I write it, and then send it on it's way to you. 

R&R it buys the donuts for the little people operating my brain.


	6. Of transportation powers and lost captiv

Of transportation powers and lost captives

"Gwen, tell your brother to hurry up, we have to be at the agency in 20 minutes." Peri's plea to her daughter went unheard as she heard the bathroom door close with a thud. Peri's morning had gone much the same as usual, get up, get dresses, get the kids up and dressed, finish some last minute assignment while making breakfast, and ponder how two six year olds who could run for miles without breaking a sweat could take such an excruciatingly long time to get up in the morning. Of course as always Peri would simply take it as it came, and try to be as patient as possible, a task, which was normally hard to achieve seemed impossible on this particular Tuesday morning. Peri's train of thought constantly returning to the day before, her mind filled with questions and fears, would they come after her?, who were they?, were the kids safe?, was she safe?, how on earth could she find the time in her schedule to deal with demons let alone five angry witches? All of which she had no answer, something that made Peri very anxious to say the least, but being the 'take action, don't fret' type Peri had a somewhat less than concrete, but feasible plan, to be set into motion right after the appointment she had at the home daycare agency. First though Peri decided to get things moving and headed toward the room shared by the twins who had yet to rouse from their room except to use the restroom. Upon entering the room just to the left of her own, her eyes fell first on the upturned sheets and covers of two beds on opposite sides of the room, then to the toy chest in between the two that had upchucked all it's toys on the floor in front of it leaving little room to see the hard wood floor underneath, and finally to the closet on the right side of the room where she heard audible whispers, and the shuffling of small feet.

"Gwen, Carter, I thought I told you two to get ready ten minutes ago?" Peri's voice was soft, but firm as she made her way over to the closet side stepping a transformer on the way, but before she could look inside the closet to see exactly what the two had been doing the sliding door careened open only to bounce slightly of it's hinges jamming it open, which Peri concluded she would have to fix later, as of right now her primary concern was what the two very conspiratorial looking six year olds were up to in front of her.

"Mom, the most awesome thing just happened!" Peri looked down at her son expectantly waiting for him to continue.

"It's not that awesome." Peri heard her daughter mutter.

"Yes it is, your just jealous because you can't shimmer like I can." Sticking his tongue out as his sister in a mocking fashion. Peri almost fell backwards at her son revelation, as if she didn't have a hard enough time keeping track of him.

"Carter, please repeat, and then explain when, where, and where to did you shimmer?" Peri asked, thinking back to the first time it happened to her, it was during an oral report in elementary school, and she had gotten stage fright and shimmered outside the classroom, it had been to say the least hard to explain.

"It was so cool, I was in bed and then I thought about needing to use the bathroom, and then all of a sudden I was in the bathroom, and then Gwen came in the bathroom, and she was asking me how I got in the bathroom and then I showed her by shimmer into the closet, isn't that awesome mom I can do what you can do now." Peri had barely been able to keep up with her son's hyperactive explanation, but she got the gist of it. It wasn't really anything new both of the twins had powers since birth, but neither had developed any transportation powers yet, and that made Peri wonder how exactly she was supposed to handle this particular power. With Gwen she had to deal with empathy, levitation, energy balls, and healing which she simply taught her to control over time, and only to use in front of a very small group of people. Which Gwen was pretty good at doing most of the time, Carter was a completely different story when it came to controlling his powers. He tended to think and do on impulse, once he conjured a mythical monster out of a book she had been reading to him and his sister one night, and at least once a week used his telekinesis in an inappropriate place. It wasn't really his fault he just didn't understand why they had to keep their powers a secret, but with the twins about to start school, Peri was getting more and more anxious. And with the arrival of this shimmering power Peri knew she had to teach her son better self-control…

"Do you think you could show me how you did it, but just stay within this room?" Peri hoped he had enough control to do just that, cause otherwise it was going to be a very interesting day. Carter, nodded in the affirmative, and swiftly closed his eyes, and was consumed by blue orbs that disappeared into thin air only to reappear seconds later on the other side of the room the same blue orbs that quickly turned back into the little boy.

Peri's mouth gaped, her throat constricted, and her mind simply refused to form a coherent thought, except for the resounding memory of her sons 'shimmer' which turned out to be something of a completely different source, her son orbed, like father, like son had just taken on a whole new meaning for Peri.

* * *

"How could we possible loose it, we're the charmed ones!" Piper and Phoebe looked up at their little sister as she lamented for the tenth time that day. They had been scouring the book of shadows all morning deciding to call it a night after coming up empty handed when tracking the girl down the night before, but as of yet no one had been able to come up with anything on the strange young woman. Piper had sent the boys off to magic school assuring them that they could help with the search for their lost captive when they were done with their classes for the day. Piper was relieved that Melinda had slept over at a friends house the night before so she hadn't been there for all the drama, and was probably already at her non-magic high school. Her daughter's insistence on having a 'normal' life was one of many things powers included that was a reflection of her mother, unlike her two older brothers who were adamant on staying in the magical world. 

Piper couldn't help, but notice how quiet Phoebe had been, though she didn't question her sister about it, she felt that Phoebe was holding something back from them. Though she figured it might not have anything to do with their currant predicament, and decided to let Phoebe open up when she was ready.

Paige on the other hand was not at any loss for words, as she went over the details from the night before, dissecting every movement, every word the young woman said or as Paige continued to refer to her as It. Piper knew this was her sisters way of separating them from the demons, but she wasn't so convinced that, that was the case this time. Ms. Wolf just didn't seem like the demon type, to Piper, and if she was, she certainly wasn't demon of the year on any plane. Of course they had all been wrong before, in believing that just because someone looks innocent doesn't mean they are. Piper continued her search in the book of shadows that had grown considerably over the years, and put her doubts to the back of her mind focusing on the task at hand. Which seemed to be one thing and one thing only, find Peri Wolf. Piper heard Paige say something about following up on a lead at the Magic school, and then the resounding sound of her sister orbing away.

"Hey, Phoebe what do you make of what she said about being only half demon? You're the empath after all did you get any vibes off her?" Piper figured if anything, Phoebe might be able to glean some insight into the girls mind.

"Nope non at all, I didn't get a single vibe from her at all, but that could be because of the crystal cage couldn't it?" Phoebe's rushed answer slash question, made Piper look up from the book at her sister, who Piper noted refused to make eye contact with her.

"No I don't think the crystals could have done anything to your power. Phoebe is there something wrong?" Phoebe sat down next to her sister who was sitting at the kitchen table book in hand.

"She said she had premonitions, Piper, and she can shimmer, and throw fire balls, and telekinesis, and I'd be willing to bet she can freeze or astral project." Piper could tell Phoebe was trying to tell her something, but her mind just wouldn't comprehend what it was.

"Phoebe what are you saying?" Phoebe got up from the kitchen chair and walked behind the island, spreading her arms on the surface and hanging her head she told Piper her fears about the young woman's identity.

"She has His eyes, Piper, his smile, his powers, she has my hair, and nose, and powers, she has the name we picked out together." By this time Phoebe had hot tears sliding down her face each plopping onto the island soundlessly, as she tried to get her sister to understand.

"Phoebe you can't, you can't think she's… it's not possible Phoebe she died before she even left the womb. Phoebe it can't be." Piper tried to rationalize, at first to ease her sisters pain, but that quickly turned to trying reassure herself that it was indeed impossible for the young woman with the piercing green eyes and odd resemblance to someone who Piper knew still haunted this very house, wasn't the first conceived of her baby sister.

"Piper, I can't explain it, I don't know how she survived, but I know in my heart that she's mine and…Cole's." Phoebe's eyes had drifted off into the distance falling on thin air or so it seemed…

* * *

Sorry it took so long to update, it would have happened sooner, but I decided to put a timeline together and that took some extra research. Anyhow Chapter seven is an Index of the characters, the next chapter will be here within the week. 

R&R it makes my fingers happy, and without them I'd have to type with my toes.


	7. Index of Characters

Okay so this timeline is most likely a little off, but for my story it works. So here you go.

* * *

Piper Halliwell/ Leo Wyatt 

Ages: 50/ around there plus sixty years as a white lighter

Jobs: Club and restaurant owner/ headmaster of Magic school and teacher

Powers: Molecular Immobilization, Molecular Combustion / now mortal so non

Children: Wyatt Halliwell 21, Chris Halliwell 19, and Melinda Halliwell 16

Wyatt Matthew Halliwell

Age: 21

Job: Part-time teacher at magic school/ advenced studies in Magic

Powers: force fields, conjuring, TK, orbing, sensing, telekinetic orbing, projection, energy balls, vast explosive powers, prescience

Children: Non

Christipher Perry Halliwell

Age: 19

Job: Advanced Magic study/ Night time SFU college student

Powers: TK, orbing, TK orbing, Sensing

Children: Non

Melinda Halliwell

Age: 16

Job: Full time SF High school student

Powers: Molecular Immobilization, Molecular Combustion

Children: Non

* * *

Phoebe Halliwell/ Coop 

Ages: 49/ unknown but around the same

Jobs: Columnist and author/ Marriage counselor

Powers: Premonitions, levitation, empathy/ non-now mortal

Children: Peri Wolf 22?/ Prudence Patty Halliwell 16, Sierra Penny Halliwell 15, Angela Lillian Halliwell 8

Prudence Patrica Halliwell aka Ladybug

Age: 16

Job: Full time SF High school student

Powers: Empathy, Levitation, Astrol-projection

Children: Non

Sierra Penny Halliwell

Age: 15

Job: Full time student at Magic School

Powers: Levitation, Prescience, Sensing

Children: Non

Angela Lillian Halliwell

Age: 8

Job: Full time SF Middle school

Powers: Premonitions, Empathy

Children: non

* * *

Paige Matthews/ Henry Mitchell 

Ages: 48/ 50

Jobs: full time white lighter and witch/ Parole Officer

Powers: telekinetic-orbing, orbing, healing/ mortal

Children: Henry Jr. Mitchell 15, Asilin Maria Mitchell 13, Aden Rose Mitchell 13.

Henry Jr. Mitchell

Age: 15

Job: Full time student at Magic school

Powers: orbing, healing, sensing, TK orbing

Children: non

Asilin Maria Mitchell

Age: 13

Job: full time magic school student

Powers: Glamering, healing, TK orbing

Children: non

Aden Rose Mitchell

Age: 13

Job: full time magic school student

Powers: Orbing, glamering, conjuring

Children: Non

* * *

Peri Wolf/ Jack Carter (deceased for six years) 

Age: 22/ 110 or 20 at time of death

Job: law student, part-time english TA/ died the first time in WW1, white lighter for 90 years

Powers: Premonition, Fireball, shimmering, TK, Molecular Immobilization, astrol projection/ Orbing, Healing, sensing, glamering

Children: Gwendolyn Jackie Wolf 6, Carter Benjimen Wolf 6.

Gwendolyn Jackie Wolf

Age: 6

Job: about to start school

Powers: Empathy, levitation, energy ball, healing

Children: non

Carter Benjimen Wolf

Age: 6

Job: about to start school

Powers: Orbing, TK, conjuring.

Children: non

* * *

Next chapter will be 'Of Fathers and Daughters' so let you mind wonder. 

P.S I reposted Chapter 6 and the Index because of some gramatical errors I found, they are now corrected, but if you find any that stand out to you please give me a heads up.

(R&R if you have any thoughts or questions about whatever.)


	8. Of fathers and Daughters

Okay so as promised here is the seventh Chapter, hope you enjoy and a special thanks to all the readers who helped me get my thousand hit goal before reaching chapter ten. ;)

* * *

Of Fathers and Daughters 

Peri's day had gotten progressively worse after; Carter's new transportation power emerged earlier that day. After calling the Day care agency to cancel her appointment that morning, fearing that Carter might not be able to control the power well enough to go out in public yet. She had to have someone cover her shift with the English professor, so that she could spend the rest of the day teaching her son how to control his power, and when and where it was okay to use it. Which was harder than it sounded since him and his sister had gotten into the chocolate brownies Peri had made the day before as a treat for the kids after they went to the day care agency, which it turned out didn't happen. Still Peri knew this was of vital importance even if she was going to get hell from her boss when he found out she had someone else do her shift, but as always family came before all, something Peri prided herself on. Not once had she missed a birthday or special occasion in her kids lives, she was always home before they went to bed, and every morning before they went to the babysitters house. It wasn't easy, and sometimes it caused her to loose hours of sleep and even a grade every once in a while, but to her it was worth it. She had grown up alone, devoid of affection and loved ones being tossed from one foster home to another each one worse than the last it seemed. Having no one to confide in, no one to rely on, keeping so many secrets that would have meant something if she had anyone to tell them to. Peri was determined to make sure her kids never felt alone or rejected, that they always felt loved and accepted, and most importantly safe. She had never felt safe as a child, always afraid someone would find out about her powers, and do all those horrible things she read about in comic books and in TV shows, this fear later turned into a more rational fear of demons finding out about her, leaving her vulnerable to attack. No Gwen and Carter, would never know these fears they would always feel safe, and taken care, and though she knew she couldn't protect them forever she could at least give them a good enough foundation. So when they did have to face demons and warlocks, and life in general they would be well enough equipped to handle it as best as possible. With this thought she began explaining to Carter about orbing and it's uses in general, then about how to use the ability on demand this took the better part of the day, and finally when and where it was safe to use.

"Okay so let's go over the rules, No orbing in public, always know where your going when you orb, never orb into danger, the regular rules apply to orbing as it does to the rest of your powers. So can you tell me the people you are allowed to orb in front of?" Peri watched as Carter mentally calculated the short list, and then supplied her with the following names, Mommy, Gwen, and Aunt Eva. Though Peri was apprehensive about Carter orbing in front of her gypsy friend who had become more like part of the family since she helped Peri out during her pregnancy, and from there as a listening ear. But still she had to trust someone to take care of the kids when she was out fighting demons, and who better than someone who knew the craft, and the kids personally.

"And if there's a demon attack you are to grab your sisters hand and do what?" Peri had already mentioned this to her son before, but wanted to make sure he understood.

"Orb to Aunt Eva's with Gwen, and don't leave until you get their." His rehearsed answer was good enough for Peri, and she left him with Gwen in the living room, as she walked the short distance to the kitchen where she was preparing dinner for the three.

Peri thought about her son's new power, and how surprised she had been to see him use it for the first time. It wasn't that it was a bad thing not at all; it was just the last time she had seen those blue orbs float into the air, They, were carrying his body away, to where they refused to tell her. Peri smiled to herself, _Jack would've been so proud that Carter had inherited his power of transportation. _Peri thought, as she stirred the complex tomato sauce she had been marinating for forty minutes. Cooking had always been a saving grace growing up, it seemed that food had a way of calming her nerves. Cooking was manual, it required little thought that didn't involve the specific task at hand, and after creating a master piece you got to eat it, which made Peri question why she could still fit into her skinny jeans so well after years of frustrated cooking. Though she could cook she was by no means a chef, since it seemed she could never duplicate a recipe, every meal she ever made was different from the last even if that last had the exact same ingredients as the second. In any case it was as good an outlet as any to dump all her feelings into, ranging from depression to excitement over as many different things. Jack had always said he could tell what she was feeling by what her food tasted like, when she was angry it was hot and spicy, when she was depressed it was buttery, when she was happy it was light and airy, and so on. She had never put much stock into his theory about her food, but it still made her wonder what else could be seen in her culinary work. Peri felt more than heard Gwen and Carter enter the kitchen, and she turned around to see what they wanted knowing it had to be something big to take them away from there in depth game of checkered.

"Mommy, if you can shimmer, but you can't orb, where did I get my orbing from?" Her son's earnest question, almost made her want to cry, but she knew that would only scare them so instead she turned the burner down on the stove, and bent down to eye level with the twins.

"Orbing is a special ability, as well as healing like Gwen can do, these special gifts are given to white lighters, so they can help guide there charges." Peri had already told the twins their father was magical, and she always made sure they knew about him regaling them with bed time stories about her time with him, but she had yet to confide that he had been her white lighter before he died. She had come up with many excuses for this over the years, she didn't really know why she did it, other than not wanting the elders to find out about the twins afraid they might try to… well she didn't really know just that it wouldn't be good if they found out.

"Didn't you say dad had the power to heal mom?" This came from Gwen the more perceptive of the two, partially because of her empathy, partially because she was her mother's child.

"Yeah, your dad, was my White Lighter, and he could orb and heal, and even change his face and shape a power called glamering. I can't tell you how proud he would be that you two got some of his powers, he always said that if we ever had kids they would take after their dad, and that someday they would be able to help others as he had." Peri's eyes began to cloud with tears when the two black haired blue-eyed angels in front of her wrapped her in a cocoon of their arms, and whispered how much they loved her.

"I love you two so much, you have no idea." Peri smiled hugging her children back and then standing up straight "Why don't you two go pick out a book for me to read to you tonight, and I'll finish up dinner okay?" They both nodded and ran to the book shelf in the living room that was filled to the brim with every book any child would ever want to read, Peri laughed when she heard them playfully arguing over which book was the best.

Peri turned the stove back up to its full heat and finished up the last touches before calling the kids in for dinner, which they ate at the kitchen table that was really just a counter with three high top chairs facing it. They ate in silence for a while, this didn't last long though when Carter started to recant his adventure the last time they had visited Aunt Ava's, and then Gwen joined in par usual, and it went on from there until they were all laughing till there were tears in their eyes food half eaten, drinks downed, it went on this way till all the food was gone, the dishes done, and the twins fighting sleep as they had done all there lives, that Peri decided it was time for bed. While the twins were brushing their teeth in the bathroom, Peri contemplated how empty her life would be without those two hearts beating in the other room, the thought made her shudder…

* * *

Paige was not in a receptive mood, her sisters had just told her something utterly beyond her, and now were trying to butter her up with fancy details, that in her mind they were pulling out their asses. First they bombard her with questions about blood ties, and how to find lost family members, asking if she can sense someone if their related, all before she can fully materialize out of her orb, and when she asks what's going on they avoid the question like the plague. Then as if the absurdities couldn't get any worse, Piper, comes out and says their demon is actually Phoebe's long lost child from her wreck of a relationship with Cole. Paige was about ready to burst with information over load, but as a white lighter had learned that a calm approach was the best, and so she quietly if not a little forcefully questioned how exactly they knew for certain this supposed daughter was in fact Phoebe's. The answer was absurd in Paige's opinion, her eyes and powers, really she had grown to respect her sisters powers of empathy and intuition, but this seemed far-fetched at best. It wasn't that the girl might be Phoebe's or more importantly Cole's; it was that it looked like her sister was just setting herself up for a whole lot a hurt. Paige had mellowed over time, or at least that's what everyone said, if anything Paige thought she simply grew out of the passionate young woman who didn't know how to look at the big picture, and developed into the passionate late forties woman who could look at a situation from both sides, but here at this point that reasoning went out the window. Replaced by a fierce need to protect her sister from any undue pain in what was an impossible situation, because if Paige only knew one thing for certain about Phoebe it was that once she got an idea in her head she would follow it to the depths of hell, and had. She was about ready to tell her sister this when Phoebe finally said the only thing that could have changed her mind about forestalling her sister's efforts to find the girl. 

"Your my sister, I need you to help me figure out if she is or she isn't, and I need your support with both outcomes. Please don't make me do this alone?" Paige set off toward the attic calling back to her sisters,

"If we combine the to call a lost witch spell, the Belthazor summoning spell, and some variant of the lost and found spell we might just be able to have her answer your questions herself." Both Piper and Phoebe look flabbergasted at their sisters sudden change in mind, but decided not to question it, and followed her up to the attic

Phoebe knew she was hours away from something that could potentially be a very big mistake or a very big surprise, either way she had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it, but one thing was for certain by the end of the day she would have the answers to her questions…What she would do with them after was impossible to say even for Phoebe…

* * *

Okay so you got a glimpse into the life of Peri's family dynamic, and a look at how the sisters deal with the new revelation. Next Chapter will be Of calling spells and mother hens. 

R&R Nothing gets the old noggin going like your thoughts.


	9. Of calling spells and mother hens

First off I want to take a moment to apologize for the wait, my computer craped out for a few days. Anyhow that's fixed and fingers crossed won't happen again. Also a thank you to al who reveiwed the last Chap I wasn't feeling very inspired to write, then I looked and saw your comments, and it really helped me out of my momentary writers black. So here you go chapter 8...

* * *

Of calling spells and mother hens 

Phoebe looked out at her family, they had all gathered in the attic at Piper's request. Piper had insisted that she tell the family as a whole about their little discovery, and their plans to summon the girl. Of course Phoebe had already informed Coop and her daughters in a more private setting, and it seemed they all were very supportive of her or at least that's what they said. Phoebe was surprised most by Coop's reaction, but happy nonetheless he seemed totally okay with all that was going on, asking her if she was all right, and assuring her that he would be there for her no matter what. Now it was time to inform the rest of the family, or at least the adults, the kids were down stairs with Melinda, Prue and Sierra who were babysitting while already having been informed of the situation. So cramped together in the small attic was Piper, Leo and the boys, and then of course Coop, and off to the side standing closest to the Book of Shadows was Paige ready with the summoning spell and her husband Henry the only never magical mortal in the room.  
"Okay so I think we all pretty much know the gist of things, why don't we skip ahead to our plan. Phoebe would you care to elaborate on what we're about to do?" Piper gave floor to Phoebe, but instead Phoebe stepped back unable to do as directed, quickly Paige started going over the plan.

"So here's the deal, we've pieced together a spell using some old material and come up with a spell to call, the um… uh… to call" Paige stumbled a little on this but quickly recovered remembering the girls name. "Ms. Wolf who we think might be Phoebe's daughter. The spell also works as a DNA test seeing as it will only bring the blood daughter of Phoebe and…Cole. Now the last time we encountered her things didn't go so well, since at the time we were under the assumption she was a demon which is still a possibility, so if all the mortals in the room will um go join the kids downstairs." Paige looked apologetically at her husband, as Coop, and Henry left the attic with only a small amount of complaint. Leo stayed put.

"Leo she could be dangerous are you sure you want to stay?" Paige asked as she thought about the last time she had to heal him from what would have been a fatal wound after a demon attack.

"I handle teenage witches all day long I'm sure I can handle Phoebe's daughter. I'm not leaving." No one argued with him, after all he had proven useful in these kinds of things before, always the impartial mediator.

Phoebe who had been quiet so far stepped up next to her sisters at the book of shadows the calling spell in hand.

"Mom do you want us to get the crystals in case she's not in the mood for a family reunion?" Wyatt asked in a joking manner, he was answered only with his mothers scowl, and younger brothers pointed punch to the arm.

"Ow, I was only trying to ease the tension." No one replied. Though they all knew what Wyatt meant, the tension was palpable.

Phoebe was the most anxious, her hands shaking as she held the spell out so all three could say it together. In unison the charmed ones began…

"Guiding spirits we ask your charity

Lend us your focus and clarity

Reaching out through space and light

Course unseen across the skies

Bring us the bloodline of Phoebe and Cole

Lead her to us the one we cannot find

To restore our sisters peace of mind"

Nothing happened.

Phoebe stared at the spot in the middle of the attic waiting for something anything to happen. She couldn't believe it she had been so sure… then she heard it there was a strange wind, and as if out of thin air she appeared, she wasn't alone…

"Carter, YOUR SISTER NOW!" Peri exclaimed shielding the twins with her own body as she took a fighting stance.

"But mom what about you don't you…" Carter's cry was halted by his mother's fierce look, and barely audible words "Carter get you sister out of here now." And as he had learned only this morning to do he took his sisters hand and orbed out. Leaving his mother to deal with the five witches surrounding her, and the ex elder.

Peri looked around her, stunned not moments ago she had been reading the book the twins had picked out for bed, and then all of a sudden they were being pulled into nothing only to rematerialize at the scene of her last magical fiasco.

"Someone better tell me what the hell is going on before I demonstrate what I do to demons who interrupt family time!" Peri practically growled having ground the words out, that were borderline violent as she held herself back from attacking them, trying to remind herself that they were witches and not demons, and one of them was her innocent. Though she was having a hard time thinking of them as anything but evil, seeing as she had just had to send her kids halfway across the city to Eva who for all she knew wasn't even home.

"We need to ask you some questions." This came from the pale one from before, who was standing next to her innocent and the other one.

Peri tried to calm down, but her anger was steadily building as her fear for the twins became even more alarming. She took a deep breath, and concentrated on the task at hand, the quicker she got out of here the sooner she could check on the twins, only she knew if she shimmered out now they would only summon her again. So instead she decided to ask some questions of her own.

"I know I left a little suddenly yesterday, I even can understand why you summoned me, and if it had been just me that would've been fine, and we could have worked this out like reasonable witches, but you didn't just summon me you summoned my kids, and that leaves me to wonder exactly how you knew about them. So if I don't get some answers real soon things are going to turn ugly." Peri said in a very low voice, still in her fighting stance her heart pumping with adrenaline as her body prepared for a fight.

The man Peri hadn't seen yesterday stepped forward, Peri's body tensed as he came forward, but he stopped short of her.

"We mean you no harm, we just want some answers, as I'm sure you do as well. So why don't you just sit down and we can work this out." The man looked to be in his early fifties, with kind eyes and a gentle voice, Peri couldn't help, but think of Jack as he spoke using that same calming voice Jack used when she was high strung after or before a demon fight. That being said Peri neither took a seat nor stepped out of her fighting stance unwilling to believe anything just yet.

"The two children with you were yours, but you're so young?" This was from the one she hadn't ever spoken with. She was short like Peri only reaching about 5'5, and had the same dark brown hair tied in a messy ponytail, the only difference were the eyes that were a dark shade of brown like big saucers they stared at her in amazement like they had never set eyes on another human being before. This only furthered Peri's confusion, and slightly annoyed her; it wasn't like she was twelve or anything so she what if she was a teenager when the twins were born.

"That's absolutely non of your business. Now please someone tell me what is going on, and it better be good." Peri heard one of the sisters' mutter something, but didn't quite catch it.

"Where were you born?" This was from her innocent as she came around to stand in front of the music stand where a very old looking book rested.

"I don't know, give me a second and I'll try to think back to before I could support my own neck." Peri's sarcastic answer earned her some hard looks, and very un-lady like snort from the pale witch.

"I meant do you know where you were born?" Peri decided to answer her innocent with a more helpful answer, hoping that maybe if she was cooperative they might let her go before morning.

"I truly have no idea, in fact I'm not even sure when I was born."

"What do you mean?" The man that had approached her earlier said.

"I mean that I was left at a police station when I was around what the doctor who examined me said was about three months, but it's not like you can pinpoint a date from that. Why are you asking me this anyway what does it matter to you?" Peri's question went unanswered, but they seemed to be mulling over something.

"So you're adopted?" This came yet again from the man, who seemed to be the spokesmen for the time being.

"No I was never adopted." They all seemed blank, Peri was getting more and more annoyed with the personal questions, and the nagging worry for her kids was growing.

"What do you mean not adopted, who raised you?" This time the pale witch spoke, and Peri almost laughed at their blank looks, as if they had never thought of any other option than biological parents or adoptive parents raising a child.

"The state raised me you know foster families, group homes, things like that. What do you care anyhow, how does this have any relevancy here?" Peri wasn't comfortable talking about her past with such complete strangers; she didn't like doing it with close friends, even Jack had always had to persuade the smallest detail from her.

"So you've never had any parents?" Peri couldn't get over the fact that they simply kept ignoring her questions. What on earth would they care whether or not she had parents?

"Sure I've had parents you want to get a phone book we can call all sixty some odd houses I've lived in, do you want to call the group homes too? I sure hope you have long distance cause some of these places are going to be a ways away." Peri had always hated talking about her living arrangements as a child, and these witches just wouldn't let up, and for reasons she couldn't fathom.

"Look I'm not sure what you want, in fact I don't even care anymore. I just want to get home, and make sure my kids are all right, and seeing as those two in the corner must be one of yours, as a mother I'm sure you can understand my concern." Peri's defeated tone didn't go unnoticed, and they all looked quite guilty especially Peri's innocent, and the one next to her the one with the ponytail.

"We can't just let you leave we need to ask you some more questions. It's really important that you stay, but I also understand you need to take care of you kids." Her innocents resigned tone reminded Peri of the late hour, and how very tired she was.

"Why don't you just have you're son come back here, and we'll let Mel, and the others watch them while we take of business up here?" Peri looked at the youngest of the two boys in shock how could they suggest she put the life of her babies into complete strangers hands, who did they think they were, the elders who could just walk in and expect compliance with ridicules plans.

"Chris, I don't think she's going to be so keen on handing her kids over to complete strangers, I know I wouldn't." Peri's innocent commented to the young man.

"Your mother's right we can't expect her to trust us completely after only a few minutes of terse communication." Peri almost smiled at the way they seemed to read her mind, but it didn't change the fact that she had to get to Carter and Gwen to make sure everything was all right.

"Your right I wouldn't, look let me just call my babysitter and see if they made it okay, and then hopefully we can iron this all out whatever this is." Peri figured the least she could do was put there minds at ease, since the only logical explanation for their behavior was that they still thought she was a threat or a demon both Peri knew she wasn't.

"Do you need a phone?" Peri shook her head in the negative and bent down to retrieve her cell phone that was strapped to her right ankle underneath her jeans, when she stood up they all gave her a strange look, Peri smiled and said, "For some odd reason every time I used to fight a demon they would smash it to smithereens, after about the tenth replacement I found this a better hiding place." They all sent a side ways glance to the pile of wood, metal, and dust that use to be the grandfather clock.

Peri was about to dial Eva's number when the phone began to play the first chord of Wind Mills of your Mind, Peri answered the phone, _"Mommy, Aunt Eva's not here, and all the lights are out, are you okay?" _Peri's heart sped up as she heard her daughter on the other line, grateful that they got there okay, and worried cause they were alone save each other.

"Sweetheart, I'm fine I was just about to call you to make sure everything was alright, could you put your brother on the line?" Peri heard the phone switch hands, and then heard her son's voice ask what they were supposed to do. Peri put her fingers to the bridge of her nose in a sign of deep thought, and then she covered the mouthpiece of the phone.

"If any one of you even looks at them in the wrong way not only will that person be ashes on the floor, I will erase all memory of me ever being here and you will never find me or them again, is that understood?" They all nodded at her threat; though the boys looked offended at being threatened they didn't question it.

Peri uncovered the mouthpiece and said, "Carter do you think you can orb to me with your sister?" _"I think so." _Came the plaintive reply. "You think so or you know so, I don't want you doing anything you don't think you can handle." Peri knew he could do it, but she knew if he didn't think he could he probably wouldn't. _"I know I can." _Peri was proud of her sons firm reply, and told him that when he got here with his sister to stand directly behind her and have a hold of Gwen's hand just in case.

Moments later Gwen and Carter arrived in a swirl of blue orbs, and on the other side of the room next to the two boys that were leaning up against the wall. Peri was about to say something when both Carter and Gwen orbed again in a flash beside her and throwing there arms around her. Though Peri thought it risky to take her attention away, she couldn't help but return their hugs.

"Mom, I thought you said only to orb away if they are demons, and they don't feel like demons?" Peri looked down at her daughter's puzzled expression, she saw her contemplating the others in the room.

"What do they feel like?" Peri asked knowing her daughter was reading them with her empathy.

"Well the two Carter." She looked accusingly at her brother "orbed us next to feel curious like when you know when your reading a really interesting story, and it leaves you with a cliff hanger, the three ladies are… well their kind of surprised and a little worried, and then he's like the others, but something else. What is it when someone in thinking really hard?" Peri heard the man in question answer her daughter before she could.

"Contemplative, and I do believe that makes you an empath." The man knelt down next to Gwen and before Peri could stop the little girl she walked up to the man and gave him a hard look, looking very contemplative herself.

"Nope, now you just feel like Carter does when he's won too many games of checkered and gets really annoying." Peri smile at her daughter's explanation of smugness, and everyone in the room seemed amused too excluding of course Carter who had a sour look on his face at his sisters comment.

"Okay so I'm going to make this fast, I'm not a demon, I'm not a threat to you. In fact had I not had that premonition the other day I wouldn't even know who you are. If you'd like you can cast a truth spell or something, but please make it quick I'd like to get these two to bed before sunrise." Peri saw the twins failing miserably to fight off yawns, and she herself could feel the effects even though it was probably only eleven or so at night. Peri had relaxed somewhat since the twin got there knowing that they were safe with her, and whether or not she'd like to believe it the witches weren't going to harm the twins or herself at least not tonight she thought.

"I think you misunderstand we don't think you're a demon." The pale witch interjected "Or at least not a lethal one." The other witch continued, sending her sister a hard glance, "I think we know each other, or at least are connected in a way, and I'd like to find out how." Peri was now more confused than ever unable to contain herself she said,

"I don't understand if you don't see me a as a threat, why go to all this trouble to find me? Because you think you've seen me before, its San Francisco you live here long enough frequent the regular places you see a lot of people more than once." Peri felt her son tug on her arm,

"Mom, why do they think you're a demon?" Peri looked down at her son thinking on how to answer him without having to go into detail about her little adventure the day before.

"I have demonic powers you know that, but what you know and they don't is that I use them for good which makes me not a demon, same goes for you and your sister." Peri kept her eye on the others daring them to naysay her in front of two demonic power wielding obviously innocent six year olds.

"Mom's right, they don't really like when she says demon they all kind of tense up. Of course that's not right." Gwen looked at the others in the room her eyes landing on the one who looked most like an older version of her mother, and as she had Leo she bravely walked up to her, and held out her hand, the woman looked to Peri as if asking permission, Peri didn't know what her daughter was doing but trusted her instincts and nodded in the positive. As soon as their hands touched both had that familiar jerk as their eyes close suddenly lids closed and eyes rolling, Peri stepped forward, but before she could reach her daughter, the little girl let go of the woman's hand, and ran and jumped into her mother's arms.

Peri was checking for injuries, when she saw that her daughter wasn't frightened the exact opposite she was smiling from ear to ear and looking from her mother to the woman she had just shared a premonition with.

"Gwendolyn Jackie Wolf, what was that?" Peri didn't know whether to be angry with the girl or start laughing with her when she simply hopped out of her mother's embrace and went to whisper something in her brother's ear.

"Mom I think Gwen just had one of those premonition things, but it wasn't a very good one since what she says is stupid." Gwen playful smacked her brother on the arm, and continued smiling.

"Could someone please tell me what is going on? What did you see?" Peri looked from her daughter to the woman who was also smiling, completely confused Peri gave out an exasperated sigh.

"Carter what did your sister say to you?" Peri figured if anything Carter would tell her what Gwen said to him, not willing to believe anything the other witch said at the time.

"She said that we weren't alone anymore, but that's stupid because we were never alone right?" Carter looked almost as confused as his mother with his brows knitted together.

Peri looked to the witches in the room not having to voice her question aloud, and to her surprise she wasn't the only one in the room who didn't have a clue what was going on. In fact the only two people in the room who seemed to have any idea about what was going on was Gwen and the witch who had shared the premonition.

"You have a very beautiful family, so small yet so connected." The witch said her voice far away as if she was still trying to comprehend what she saw.

"Gwen, tell me what you saw?" Peri demanded though her heart wasn't in it in fact she would have liked nothing more than to shimmer herself and the twins out and then crawl into bed and sleep away all her tired confusion.

"It's okay mommy you don't have to worry anymore, they're not going to hurt us. Their really good witches, just like you, and now we get to have a big family like them." Peri looked at her daughter as if she had grown antlers; as if her life wasn't messed up enough they had cast some sort of scrambler spell on her daughter's brain.

"Here mommy I can show you." Gwen place her hand in her mothers hand and closed her eyes only for them to pop open when nothing happened.

"You have to help." Gwen told the witch who walked over to the girl and looked at Peri.

"I think if we try it together it will work." Peri looked at her daughter knowing that whatever she saw was important, but she just didn't think she could so easily trust these people as Gwen had.

"Go on mom Gwen knows what she's doing even if she doesn't make any sense." Carter told his mother, as he was looking decidedly more bored with all that was going on.

Peri sighed and took the offered hand of the woman who's name she didn't even know, and as she saw the woman take her daughters hand she was thrown into the most powerful premonition of her life…

She saw herself rocking the twins when they were only a few months old, then a few years later at an old park she use to take the twins to play, memory after memory played before her eyes, her stumbling as her first contraction hit, the glow that appeared as the twins came into the world, their first birthday, first step, first powers, first demon, and then it changed now she was seeing someone else the woman who was holding her hand.

_A younger version of the woman next to her staring at a monogram screen when the doctor performing the scan was thrown back against a wall…Her hair catching on fire, no wait not her hair the woman's hair it quickly dissipated, and the image changed_, now she was seeing the woman older as she was now it was yesterday, and she looked a mixture of shock as she stared at Peri who was saying something to the others, the woman's hand splayed on her abdomen as she looked at her, but the premonition didn't stop there it kept going showing her all the moments leading up to her arrival

The witch's name was Phoebe, and as she told her innocent, Piper, whom she thought the young woman from the night before was her whole world seemed to slow to a snails pace. As the flashes kept coming Peri stopped paying attention completely blanking out all that was going on…And as soon as it began it was gone, leaving Peri on the ground all the people in the room gathered around her, Carter and Gwen holding her hand calling her back to consciousness.

"Mom?" Peri asked without thinking, and before the witch could respond she grabbed hold of Gwen and Carter and shimmered them out leaving six shocked faces in her wake…

* * *

Next Chapter will be Of scapegoats and explanations.

R&R cause it makes me happy ;-)


	10. Of scapegoats and explanations

Okay so I left you with a cliff, and that wasn't very nice ;-) So here you go because I'm a nice person or at least for the moment... Chapter 9

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Of scapegoats and explanations 

Coop ran up the attic stairs after hearing a crash the source of which he wasn't sure. It had only been about 20 or 30 minutes since he and Henry had been sent away, left to wonder why Leo was allowed the option of staying no matter the situation, not that it really mattered cause the girls always informed them right after. Instead of going to sit with the kids like Henry had, he decided to lean against the wall at the bottom of the attic stairs hoping Phoebe would change her mind about him being with her the first time she met…her. It wasn't like he didn't know this day was coming it was only a matter of time; they had always reminded him of that, but he just hadn't expected it to happen so soon at least that's what he tried to tell himself. The truth of the matter was it didn't really matter whether or not Phoebe ever saw the young woman that was truly her first child, because the girls fate would be the same, it would end the same. Coop only hoped Phoebe wouldn't get too attached in the process, knowing that it would only hurt her more when she found out the truth of things. He had never lied to Phoebe at least not directly. The elders did send Coop for Phoebe to fall in love with to make up for some of the heartache over the years, what he didn't tell her was that someone else sent him to Phoebe for something slightly less noble than what the elders had in mind. But none of this mattered, at least not in a simpler sense, because Coop did fall hopelessly in love with Phoebe, and would do anything to make up for something he had no control over. In time he thought she might be able to forget the events that were sure to take place. He only hoped he could save her the pain that was soon to follow…

* * *

"Mom, what happened?" Peri looked down at her son, she didn't really know how to answer him, in fact she herself didn't know exactly what happened. It wasn't that she was afraid of what happened or even afraid of what she saw, but something she couldn't identify was screaming at her to flee almost like a promotion without pictures, telling her something was very, very wrong. Of course she still couldn't even think about the woman who's name she now knew was, Phoebe, and the others. In fact she pushed all thoughts of them to the back of her mind, when she shimmered herself and the twins back to the apartment, and all the while she was putting up new protection spells to prevent any spell from penetrating the invisible barrier that encased her small living area. She already had a spell in place to prevent anyone from getting in any way other than the mortal one, but now she put one in place vise versa, not wanting the witches to summon her back anytime soon. She new the spells couldn't hold forever and she would eventually have to deal with everything, but for the time being she simply refused to admit to what she saw. So instead of answering her son, and even though she hadn't said anything yet her daughters question, and did the only thing she could think to do at that time, she bribed them. 

"How about some ice cream guys sound good?" They both looked at her suspiciously, and then to the clock on the wall that read midnight.

"Your trying to bribe us so we won't ask you about you mom, aren't you?" Peri looked at her daughter, wishing for once the little girl couldn't read her every emotion, and sighed in defeat.

"Yes, I am, and I promise you that in about six hours or so when there's light outside, and we've all had a few hours sleep that we will talk about everything that happened. But right now I need you guys to eat some ice cream, and help mommy pretend what happened didn't just happen." Peri could see they both were ready to object, but then she saw Gwen whisper something in Carters ear, and then they both ran into the kitchen opening the freezer, and grabbed out three cartons of ice cream, one for each of them.

"Okay so which do you want mom, Carter wants the chocolate one as always, that leaves the triple chocolate chip and coffee ice cream for you and me." Peri smiled at her daughter's thinly veiled attempt to taunt her mother's decision to let her already hyperactive children eat highly caffeinated sugar so late at night.

It was two hours, three emptied cartons of ice cream, and a broken glass later that she finally got the twins to bed, almost regretting her bribe, but just almost. She herself was still slightly wired from the sweets, but mostly because she kept having to push away all the doubts clouding her mind. Peri had never been the type to avoid an issue or at least not on a conscious level, if she had a problem she dealt with it even if it came at a great personal cost she never let herself have the luxury of pretending. That was until tonight. She couldn't believe she had been so careless to let what should have been if not a happy moment, at least a memorable one turn into her running away like a coward. If not for that insistent nagging in the back of her head, telling her that something was terrible, terrible wrong she would have shimmered back, and tried to smooth things over. And of course there was the twins it wasn't like she could just leave them to fix something that was totally her fault. No she would have to face what she did, and who she did it to. Her…Well she still couldn't say it or think it, at least not yet. Truth be told, she had never thought much about her parents. She had seen so many others spend their lives away waiting for people who in the end always disappointed them. Peri had always told herself she didn't need them she had grown up alone, she had taken care of herself, so what did she need parents for? Of course she had been curious, but that was only because of her powers, and the only time she ever went looking for the people that were the reason for rather unusual abilities, it had ended where she was left three months old and wrapped in a baby blanket. It had ended with Benjimen, the man who had left her there at the police station; he had left a note a single word 'Peri', and his name. She didn't know who he was whether he was her father or just somebody who happened upon her one night, and took her to the station. She truly didn't know, but whoever he was without him she knew deep down she wouldn't be here, and for that she named her son Carter Benjimen, after his father, and the man that gave Peri a fighting chance at life when she was just an infant.

Peri couldn't help, but realize that if this woman was who she thought she was, then at least she owed her an explanation, after all if she was her…well then she at least deserved a chance. With that thought in mind, Peri decided to go talk to the witch, after of course a few hours of much needed sleep, she drifted off into a world less complicated than her own, completely unaware of the presence watching over her as she slept…

* * *

Phoebe was still in shock as she let her sisters guide her over to the couch in the attic, she heard someone coming up the stairs, but paid no heed as she thought about the encounter she had with her daughter. Her daughter, she couldn't believe she was real, and those beautiful children so sweet, of course she hadn't expected to be a grandmother at only 49, and by the way Peri reacted she wasn't so sure she would get to be. Oh how she wanted to be, as soon as the little girl had touched her hand, she immediately felt connected to all of them, she saw how well Peri had dealt with the twins through the years, being a better mother than Phoebe herself was sometimes, bending over backwards just so her kids never missed her in the mornings or at night. She tried so hard to give them all she could, but never forgot the most important thing was time spent together. Phoebe couldn't believe it, and what she couldn't get her mind around was that she did it all alone. She hadn't seen in any of the images a father, which left her to wonder who he was, and why he would leave Peri to deal with that alone. That's when she remembered the little boy's orb, which could mean only one thing, 

"He's part Whitelighter." Phoebe said aloud to no one in general.

"Who is?" Phoebe looked at her husband she supposed he was the one who came up the stairs a minute or so ago, she couldn't help but notice how anxious he felt.

"Her kids, their half Whitelighter." Phoebe's monotone reply, veiled her growing angst. She didn't quite know how to take hearing 'mom' for the first time from her first child, only to have her leave a split second after. Not that she really blamed her, considering she had been alone most her life, being shuffled from house to house never really having a home or family, it made since that she would run from the woman that abandoned her to such a life, even if it was inadvertently. She couldn't help, but feel an immeasurable amount of guilt; she hadn't even mourned the child that had grown in her womb, writing it off as not hers, even when she knew that wasn't so. She had yet to let herself think about the father of her first, she tried desperately to put him to the farthest reaches of her mind, and yet he kept resurfacing in her every thought. He had been so excited, that for the first in a while she saw him again the man she loved, not who he was pretending to be. Though at that time she hadn't known he was the source deep down she knew he hadn't been himself not at all. But when she told him about the baby, oh how he shined just like he had the day they met on the college campus, the moments before he asked her to marry him the first time after being attacked, covered in green demon blood. That was the man she loved, not the one she killed.

"Phoebe, Phoebe, hello you in there?" Phoebe snapped out of her daze to see Paige's hand waving in front of her face.

"What, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked, she couldn't believe she had drifted off, and thought about…Him. She was married to the love of her life, and the man from her past kept coming back to haunt her, though this time he had a purpose she figured she would have to face him or at least in a way seeing as their daughter was alive well, and not the core of all evil. Phoebe stood with renewed energy, she knew that summoning Peri back would only lead to more confusion, so she decided to do it the mortal way. She had her name after all, and she knew where she went to school surely, she could find her there or at least find out where she lived. After all the least she could do is explain why she never looked for her, and perhaps from there she could make up for so many years. Phoebe knew what it was like to grow up without a mother, and she would be damned if she let her daughter spend the rest of her life thinking of her as she had her own mother. Yes tomorrow she would go down to SFU, and confront, Peri Wolf, her daughter, and maybe just maybe she could start making up for lost time.

"Phoebe, are you okay you look kind of odd." Phoebe simply smiled at Piper, and said,

"Come on Paige, I need you to persuade Henry to play bad cop, and help me get some records unlocked." Phoebe grabbed her very confused sisters hand and headed off down.

* * *

"Well they have the same exit strategy." Piper commented to the room that consisted of herself, her sons, husband, and a very concerned ex-cupid…

* * *

Okay I know it's short, but I figured it was better than making you wait three or four more days for a longer Chap. Anyhow hope you like, as you can probably tell the plot is thickening, and is do for some twists in the near future. The next chapter will be Of near misses and more demons 

R&R cause I value your opinion, and because my ego likes to be stroked(no pun intended)


	11. Of near misses and more demons

Chapter 10, Again a big thanks to all who have read or reviewed, your why I sit and write this stuff.

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Of near misses and more demons

"Come on guys, we've got approximately 15 minutes to get to aunt Eva's." Peri smiled as she heard Carter and Gwen stumble around trying to gun it out the door. It seemed to be the only time they rushed to get up and out the door was when they were headed to their adoptive aunt's place. Peri could think of many reasons why they would want to see the woman who spent most weekends teaching them all about gypsy lore, and magic in general, but Peri figured it was partly because they could use there powers around her. Something that they were only allowed to do in case of emergency anywhere else, but Eva had always insisted that it was important they have a place to practice their magic free of threat or exposure. Peri couldn't have agreed more, still the first time Gwen threw an energy ball near Carter's head, while on accident, almost made Peri's heart stop. It was one thing dealing with rambunctious kids; it was another thing dealing with emerging powers in the same rambunctious kids. Still it was hard to argue with results, since the twins had been allowed to use their powers more openly or at least with Eva they had much better control over the powers inside them. Of course Carter had the occasional slip up, but Peri couldn't imagine what it would be like if he didn't have an outlet for them like the one Eva provided. She had met the gypsy/ER doc in her first trimester with the twins, when Peri had been to scared to see an OB for fear her magical babies might be different than a normal pregnancy. At the time answering those kind of questions would have been near to impossible to explain, and since she knew very little about what her body would go through during the pregnancy or where her new powers were coming from she steered clear of MDs. She had happened upon Eva accidentally actually, when she was trying to find out about her birth parents. Eva was at the police station where the social workers said she was abandoned, she was speaking to the Chief of Police who introduced himself as Daryl Morris. Peri still remembered how he looked at her; it could only be described as seeing a ghost although he quickly covered that up, and excused himself. She remembered him mostly because he was the one that found her on a bench outside his office three months old, with the note, and the name of the unknown man. He had still been a lieutenant at that time; he said that she was the quietest baby he had ever seen. Peri kept loosely in contact with him after that, he calls her at least once a month 'just to check up' he says though Peri figured it was because his own children rarely had enough time to talk or visit him for more than a few minutes, both sons having gone into the family business as third generation cops. Eva, hadn't ever told her exactly why she had been there talking to the man who just happened to find Peri 16 years before they met, and while Peri supposed this could simply have been a coincidence something inside her told her otherwise. It didn't really matter though cause Eva and her had become quick friends, though Eva was almost 26 years older than Peri. She had been a tremendous help during Peri's pregnancy, after of course she revealed her own magical ties. Peri couldn't believe her luck; Eva being an ER doc had been able to help Peri throughout her entire pregnancy without her ever having to go to any doctor other than Eva. Which was good since her powers were really out of whack during her last trimester, her powers went from super strong one minute to almost non-existent the next leaving her vulnerable to demon attack. Peri couldn't imagine what she would have done had it not been for Eva, still Peri could tell she was holding something back from her, she always had, but that didn't hinder there relationship any, Peri figured she would tell all when she was ready.

"Mom, come on lets go!" Peri realized she had been holding the front door open for a while, even though the twins were already through it and halfway to the little red pick-up truck that Peri had bought just three years ago. While she could just shimmer them and be there in a thousandth of the time it would take to drive the 10 miles to Eva's house, it was better to keep up a minuscule amount of normality. Also the fact that it would look odd if she never left the apartment to the best of the other tenants knowledge. So as she opened the metal contraption to allow Gwen and Carter to climb into the diminutive backseat, Peri thought for the hundredth time how different she was, how different her kids were from the rest of the world. And although she would never admit to it, she couldn't help, but wonder what it would be like to grow up in a magical family, not like hers, but bigger, with aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, sisters and brothers, and even moms and dads. This train of thought led Peri back to the reason she was taking the twins to Eva's today even though it wasn't there usual time, she needed to confront the woman who's DNA was supposedly half of her own, something Peri was beginning to think might just be true…

* * *

"Okay Henry, are you sure you can do this?" Paige looked angrily at her sister, 

"Of course he can, can't you Honey?" Paige flashed Henry her brightest smile, which was met with a mumbled curse as he forced all his attention on driving.

Paige could tell her husband was having difficulty controlling his tongue for this she couldn't blame him. Ever since they had left the manor this morning, taking the forty minute drive to SFU to implement Phoebe's plan that depended on Henry's badge, both herself and Phoebe had been grilling the parole officer on every detail of the plan. Suffice to say no one has been nagged until the Halliwell sisters have nagged them, or at least that's what Leo had once claimed. Paige herself was getting annoyed with the situation after sitting in her cramped little gecko green Volkswagen she just had to have, Paige began to wonder what exactly her sister thought to gain from this little adventure/manhunt. The witch/demon/human as Paige had been referring to Phoebe's long lost daughter, had in her opinion made it very clear she didn't want anything to do with Phoebe when she orbed out so abruptly. She also knew that any child with Peri's past wasn't going to be very receptive to the situation. From what Phoebe said of what she saw in the premonition Peri had been taking care of herself and her kids for quite some time, alone. Paige knew from experience with foster kids from her days as a social worker someone with Peri's past wasn't going to be up for a family reunion. Paige couldn't really condemn her for this, even she had been reluctant at first with her sisters. That didn't change the fact that Phoebe was determined to find her 'the mortal way' actually nothing anyone said had any impact on Phoebe at all, Paige was use to it though she herself would have been just as head strong were she in Phoebe's position.

As Henry pulled into the long driveway that lead to the University, Paige went over the plan again, in her head this time fearing her husbands sanity might lapse if she mentioned it out loud for the tenth time since they got in the car. First they were going to head to the University center located at the main entrance, and find out where the records were kept, then Henry would pull out his badge to whomever managed that area asking for all of Peri Wolf's files, this would give them an address and a phone number, and any other helpful information they could gather, after which Phoebe would decide. Paige had a thought,

"Wait a second, why does Henry have to do anything? Why don't we just find out where the records are kept and I orb in and grab them? That way we don't have to make up same lame excuse about skipping bail or something, which could lead to her dismissal from school. Which by the way is no way to connect with the Witch/demon/human/daughter."

Paige's thesis was demolished when Phoebe remarked,

"That would be great, but we don't know where her file is so unless you want to spend all day sorting through files we stick with the Henry plan. Besides they wouldn't kick her out for us saying she did something, it's not like they wouldn't check first." Paige watched something don on her sister, something she herself had been wondering about.

"Wait a second what I they check while we're still there?" Both Phoebe and Paige looked to Henry, whom at the moment was busily trying to find a parking space in the over crowded lot.

"That's taken care of." He said off handedly.

"What do you mean taken care of, when did you have time to take care of anything, we've been with you this whole time." Paige rolled her eyes at her husband, who simply shrugged off Phoebe's inquiry, and said,

"I have a guy who cooperates anything I say to anybody, I'll give them his number to verify while we're there, and when they call the real police to get a statement, after we've left they'll get the opposite of what my guy said. Your girl will be safe from dismissal, and we'll get the information we need. Satisfied?" Paige couldn't help, but be slightly turned on by her husbands command of the situation, and told him so.

"You like that, well maybe after this we can go home and..."

"Eww, I don't want to know about THAT." Phoebe said playfully from the back seat, having watched the couples display. Henry threw Paige a covert smile, as her blush continued to rise.

"I don't know I kind of liked where it was going." Paige commented back, as they finally pulled into a parking space about three yards from the main entrance.

"I don't see why we couldn't have just orbed here? It's not like anyone would have noticed with all the people walking around." Paige said, looking down at her three-inch platforms as they began the walk to the front door.

"Firstly because someone might notice, and I don't want to take that chance not now, and second because of other reasons." Paige looked at her sister who had indecision playing all over her face. She figured the ride up her was more of a personal need than a logical one. It didn't take a genius to summarize Phoebe's reasoning, only a sister. She was having trouble confronting the fact that her baby her first baby was alive, well, not evil, and most likely not looking for a mother. Paige realized the only way Phoebe would ever forgive herself, for letting Peri go was if Peri herself forgave her. Paige thought about saying something, but instead trudged on ahead, knowing that the source of Phoebe's guilt was only a few illegal accusations away, and the sooner they got there the sooner this mess could be resolved. In the meantime though Paige slipped her hand into Phoebe's, letting her know she wasn't alone in this, and continued on…

* * *

Peri having dropped Carter and Gwen off at Eva's decided to head home first before going to confront the witches. She needed some time to think, and get a hold of the situation before hand so she wouldn't be caught off guard later. There was also a keepsake the origin of which Peri thought the witches might be able to identify along with a few other things Daryl had kept for when she came back to the scene of her abandonment. 

Peri parked the truck just outside her apartment building; she was about to open her car door when she felt someone in the seat behind hers…

* * *

Alright let me first apologize for the wait, due to some creative problems I've been having this chapter is a lot shorter than I intended. The next longer chapter will be 

Of confrontations and regrets

P.S I don't actually mean to leave you with all these cliffhangers, they just seem to come out on my page, and as always I am a slave to creative thought.

R&R Think of me as the Tin man and you're reviews as my oil can, I think you get the picture.


	12. Of confrontations and regrets

This is the eleventh chapter in The Story: of Peri Wolf, I want to thank all who reviewed and read last chapter, you guys rule.

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Of confrontations and regrets 

Peri's scream erupted in the ford truck only to die seconds later when a gloved hand encompassed her mouth, preventing any noise from escaping. Peri didn't think she simply acted as she bit down on the gloved hand and with her left hand she twisted his forward barring his arm at an unnatural angle, Peri felt something slam against her head rest, as she jerked the assailants arm even further almost to breaking point. She heard the stranger curse, and then she could no longer feel the arm in her grasp, a man appeared seconds later in her passenger seat. Peri tried to shimmer out, as she saw him fade in, but he caught her by the arm, and pulled her roughly back into the seat, her head slammed into the headrest where she hit the metal rod that was exposed due to a tare in the fabric, leaving her slightly woozy and out of focus. Just long enough for her to be unconscious of the chant that surrounded her binding her to the seat, making it impossible to move anything but the eyes that searched frantically for the face of her assailant. Peri tried desperately to move any part of her body, but found herself unable, she couldn't shimmer, cast a spell, or use any of her powers to defend herself, she was helpless. Finally her gaze landed on the figure of her assailant, but her eyes were still too unfocused from her head wound to identify who or in this case what It was.

"I'm sorry about this I truly did not mean to hurt you. Please just relax, and I'll release you." Peri was as much shocked by the sound of his voice as his words, it sounded so melodic not at all what you'd expect of a demon if that was what he was. Peri couldn't nod, but simply closed her eyes and opened them trying to communicate that she would do as he asked. Apparently he got the message, and he began another chant in a dialect Peri had never heard, but she didn't really think much of it when she felt feeling and control return to her body. Quickly she conjured a fireball into her hands, but refrained from firing it waiting to see what the man would do instead. Peri noted his dark appearance with a black button down shirt, slacks, leather gloves, and a black overcoat to bring it all together it made his very air seem dominant. But more than that she noticed his face, it truly was one carved by an angel every angle seemed planned and executed to perfection, and his eyes a deep hazel-green much like her own. She didn't know what the best course of action was, but she knew one thing for sure. She did not trust him, and was eminently aware of the fact that whatever magic he used was old very, very old.

"I see you're trust for me is nil. No matter, your mother was the same way the first time I used magic around her." Peri was aghast, she didn't know whether to kill him or question him. She decided on the later,

"First I don't have a mother, and second who the hell are you?" Peri's fireball was still resting in her palms, but its threatening air seemed to have no effect on the man, as he reached his hand forward, much to Peri chagrin and put it out with a simple flick of his wrist.

"You do have a mother. Her name is Phoebe Halliwell, she has big brown eyes, medium brown hair, she's a descendent of Melinda Warren, she has three sister two alive one deceased, she lost her mother on February 28, 1978, Her favorite fairy tale is Cinderella, she's a hopeless romantic, she likes corny old movies, and the TV series Bewitched, she's funny, sweet, and caring, she's compassionate, she's married to Coop a former cupid, and has three daughters from that marriage, one from her first, and she is your mother." Peri blown away by the man or whatever he was in front of her, not only was he spewing out useless knowledge like a madman it actually sounded like he was scolding her.

"Well it's official, I've had every bizarre thing that could possibly happen, happen to me. From rescuing a leprechaun's shillelagh from a tree to having some madman scold me about some witch I don't even know." Peri said off handedly as she put her thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose, as she was accustomed to do in stressful and thought provoking situations.

"You rescued a leprechauns shillelagh?" Peri was lost in thought and answered back without thinking,

"He was having some trouble with a troll…Wait why am I telling you this? Who are you? And give me one good reason why I shouldn't vanquish in the next few seconds?" Peri was so confused, and she was so tired of being confused. It seemed her life was one big show, and everyone had a script but her.

"Don't you recognize me?" The man's question made Peri take another closer look at him. Had she seen him before? She didn't think so; still he did seem familiar actually he bared a resemblance to Carter, aside from the eyes he inherited from his father. Peri had one of those aha moments, the kind that happen when someone finds that last elusive piece to the puzzle.

"I am so sick of lost relatives. Can't you guys just leave me alone? Like you have for the last 22 years, I mean for god's sake couldn't you have turned up, oh I don't know all those times I actually needed a parent? Not now after I've given up on, on…" Peri felt tears threatening to fall, as she looked at the man whom she could now place as her father. Her whole heart seemed to squeeze, and release squeeze and release each time the releases coming farther and farther apart till she felt as if it might burst. Yet still she held back her tears, and her anger. She fought as hard as she could to rid herself of the feeling that she was falling from the proverbial mountain ledge. She thought of the twins, she thought about Jack when he was alive, she thought about primavera pasta with green sauce, she thought about anything and everything, but not about the father sitting beside her. No she wouldn't think about him, she couldn't there was no way after all this time he could be real. She tried to reason her way out of this situation, but in the end her rational mind forced her back to the problem at hand. Peri felt her emotions drain away, to exhausted to deal with them, and to use to letting them go to hang on to them.

"I know this can't be easy for you, but I've watched over you all you're life. From when you were a child taking your first step to the day my grandchildren were born I was there. You just couldn't see me." Peri let out a sarcastic laugh and said,

"Yeah, that really helped when I was being chased down by demons and warlock, not to mention the occasional psychopathic foster parent." Peri laid her head back against the headrest only to remember to late the cut on the back of her head and the metal bar that caused it.

"Ow! By the way great way to introduce yourself, why were you hiding in the back of my truck anyhow?" The man re-situated himself in the seat, his tall form not totally fitting into the cramped two door ford, and made it to where he was almost facing her. His eyes, her eyes bore deep into her own,

"Don't you know how hard it was for me to just stand by, and let those bastards hurt you? It killed me, Peri, more than I already was." Peri could feel an immeasurable amount of guilt in his voice, so much so it border lined on pain.

"Why are you here now? Why now can I see you? Why not then?" She hadn't meant to ask those questions too afraid of what the response might be, and yet her traitorous mouth betrayed her as it did more often then she'd like.

"I couldn't They wouldn't let me, and the only reason I'm here now is as a messenger. They wanted me to give you this" he reached into his coat pocket revealing a leather bracelet, it had tribal markings carved into it's surface around a violet jewel.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, but for some reason They wanted you to have it." He went to hand the bracelet to Peri, but she retreated from it.

"Take it." He demanded, but Peri simple shook her head and said,

"Who are They?"

She watched him close his eyes as if listening to something she wasn't privy to, and when they opened she saw a deep sadness, and something else she couldn't identify.

"I have to go, please just take it." Peri didn't want to take it, she didn't want to find out what They wanted her to know, and she didn't want him to leave. She ignored these thoughts and reached her hand out for the bracelet that he promptly dropped in her hand.

When Peri came out of the premonition that occurred the moment the bracelet or what she now knew was the ornamental band of a demonic tribe, touched skin. She saw her his figure fading out, she tried to saw something, but was cut off when she heard the ghostly whisper,

You look just like your mother…

Peri's brain was trying to wrap itself around what was going on, and decided that the best course of action, was to focus on her premonition, and how exactly she was supposed to stop the swarm from anointing their leader who just happened to be a ten year old mortal boy…

* * *

"Good god how many files can you have on one person?" Phoebe groaned as she looked at the four big brown boxes the librarian hauled out to them in the closed door office behind the librarians desk, who was also the record keeper of all the student manifolds. 

"These aren't just Ms. Wolf's files there's one for each class she's taking, and all the other students in those classes. That's how we file here at SFU if you don't like it take it up with the dean." Phoebe watched the librarian turn on her heel and leave for her desk, shutting the door behind her with a thud. Phoebe couldn't help, but wonder if the librarian had intentionally mixed up all the boxes, just to make their search harder. Considering her adamant proclamation that _her _Ms. Wolf would never get into any shady business as Henry had suggested, and that she was a good student who always smiled, and studied hard. It seemed to Phoebe the librarian was friends with Peri, and didn't want them poking around or maybe she just didn't like them. It was anyone's guess Phoebe supposed.

"Gee, wasn't she a ray of sunshine." Paige commented to know one in general.

"Well we better dig in, it looks like your girl is taking at least seven different classes." Henry said to which both Phoebe and Paige nodded their head in agreement.

After a few minutes of grazing over one half of the box as Paige tackled the other half, she found what looked to be Peri's high school transcript, but it was all over the place. At least half a dozen schools were listed as references, and grade transcripts from everyone of them.

"What do you make of this?" She hand the folder to Paige.

"Yeah we get it she made A's kudos to you on the brain child." Paige handed the file to Henry to look over,

"No I mean yes, she is smart, but what about all those schools I she couldn't have gone to all of them right?" Henry was still looking over the folder when he answered her question,

"She's a foster kid. My guess is she got lost in the system, when that happens the social workers tend to put the kid in the first available slot not really paying attention to the location." Henry handed the folder back to Phoebe, and gave her a sad smile,

"My high school history looks a lot like that, but at least they usually kept me in one general area, she's all over the place." Phoebe couldn't imagine what it was like to grow up like Henry and apparently her daughter had, no one place to call home, always being carted off to strange places to live with people you don't even know, and no family to share life with, and friends were probably a rare commodity to when you always had to move away.

"How is she ever going to trust me, after I abandoned her to this?" Phoebe asked aloud, her desperation evident, and guilt rising.

"You can't blame yourself for this. You didn't even know she existed until the day before yesterday, and even if you did we thought she was the sources child not yours. This isn't your fault." Paige tried to reassure her sister, but Phoebe let her words flow through the ears as she continued to beat herself up inside, _What kind of mother accepts her unborn babies death, as if nothing had happened. Why didn't I question it, why didn't I look for her? _Phoebe thoughts screamed at her. Phoebe thought back to her premonition, and how Peri had been alone when her first contraction hit, she wondered if she had been alone for the birth as well or if she had gotten to a hospital in time.

"Looks like, your girls, training to be a lawyer, she's taking criminal justice, criminal psychology, constitutional law, litigation/trial advocacy, health care law, family law, criminal procedure, huh." Henry said absent mindedly, only half way aware of the sisters blank stares.

"Like father like daughter, I guess." Paige commented to Phoebe, who threw her a sideways glance.

"Not really from what I've heard, Cole, was a corporate attorney or at least after his stint as an A.D.A, no she's going in for the low pay grade grunt work as a social service lawyer. Definitely not a glamorous job, like the one your ex had." Phoebe mulled over what Henry said, but still found it coincidently that hers and Cole's child would grow up to be a lawyer just like Cole. Still she felt a swell of pride that Peri had made it so far on her own, and at the same a sinking feeling crept up on Phoebe as she realized Peri hadn't needed her to get here. She had done it by herself, and that made Phoebe wonder just where her place in Peri's life was suppose to be. Having gone so long without a mother, Phoebe knew from experience you grew out of the need for one, compensating by doing all the things a mother might do, and eliminating the need for one. Of course in Phoebe's case it didn't eliminate the want for one, and secretly she hoped Peri still wanted a mother as she had growing up, even if that meant she had gone for so long disappointed. Phoebe just couldn't bare the thought that after finding out about Peri she might loose her.

After a few more hours of digging Paige found an address, and a phone number to Peri's apartment. The three put the folders they'd strewn about the room back into the boxes, and informed the librarian that they were leaving now, and thanked her for her help, and if looks could kill the old librarian would have bore bullets into their backs.

"Come on her apartment complex is just a few miles off campus it should only take a few minutes to get there by car." Paige said as they began the walk back to the car…

* * *

Peri shimmered in front of the manor, by luck remembering exactly where she shimmered from the night before. As she walked up to the front door that had beautifully stained glass and heavy oak doors, she wondered just how different she might have been if she had grown up here instead of in foster care. With that thought in mind, she rang the doorbell twice…

* * *

"How did it go?" An ancient voice asked a supposedly empty cavern. 

"It was…enlightening." Said the melodic voice that appeared in the form of a man in his late forties, wearing a black button down, gloves, slacks, and overcoat.

"Did you wear the gloves to guard from the witches premonitions?" The unseen being asked, the man turned in a circle in the dark cave, and looked toward one of the darker spots, as he watched a figure walk out of the shadows, but not far enough to reveal itself.

"Yes." He answered the figure, as he transformed into a shorter man with shoulder length black hair tied back in a ponytail, and tribal markings on his neck.

"And did she get the premonition?" The voice screamed though this time in the man's head, and not aloud.

"Yes." There was an evil laugh that vibrated off the walls echoing it's every pitch.

"Good very good, and she believed you were…" The voice asked this time out loud.

"Her father, you're potion to imitate the deceased human Cole Turner, was…successful."

"I've waited over a century for this day, it seems almost anticlimactic now, and yet the perfect beginning to her destruction." With that the figure faded back into the shadows, and the demon shimmered out leaving the cavern seemingly empty…

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Okay I had a lot more fun writing this chapter than the last one, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. 

The next chapter will be Of encounters and picklocks

R&R because in this story the world really does revolve around you or at least you're thoughts anyway. ;-)

Author's note...Due to a family emergency I will be out of commission for at least four days I hope to have the next chap, up within a seven day period, but hopefully before that. Sorry for the inconvenience, and I promise to have the next chap up as soon as time allows.


	13. Of encounters and picklocks

I do not own charmed or any of it's affiliates, Nor do I own the song there's a hole in by bucket. Chapter 12

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Peri quickly concealed her look of astonishment as her innocent whose name she now knew was Piper, and possible aunt threw her hands up in the air and cursed. 

"Where the hell have you been, Phoebe's practically lost her mind doing god knows what to find you, and here you are on our front steps!" Peri recoiled slightly as the woman threw here arms out again though it looked like she was trying to do something else other than a simple sign of frustration much like she had the first time she met her. Peri was about to say something when she was interrupted, by Piper pulling her into the manor and practically shoving her through the doorway. Peri cheeks flushed with an emotion that could only be described as anger, and turned on the woman who was mutter nonsensical ramblings at her.

"Look I didn't come here about last night, or Phoebe, or any relationship I might have to any of you. I CAME here because whether I like it or not you are still my Innocent and you are still in danger." Peri was out of breath by the time she finished having been so enraptured by her anger she forgot to breathe during her out burst. Peri saw the witch's puzzled look and then the blatant outrage return, before being replaced by complacency caused by what Peri assumed was a bit of curiosity.

"What do you mean I'm in danger?" Peri smiled ever so slightly, and quickly. Hiding her mild satisfaction that her words did not flow through her innocent's ears, Peri explained,

"I had a premonition of the demon or at least the swarm said demon belongs to…" Peri was interrupted by the sound of someone behind her, and when she whipped around to see who it was her foot caught on the end of a space rug, and she collided with the man from the night before, the one who's calming voice had reminded her so much of Jack, and yet unmistakably different in it's approach. He caught her before she fell, something Peri abhorred, and she felt a blush burn her, and her wounded pride. She jumped back from his hold his touch made her skin crawl, and she almost lost her balance again, but caught herself before causing herself even more embarrassment.

"Are you okay?" Asked the man or wait…Peri tried to think back to her premonition from the night before and recognized him as her innocent's husband, Leo.

Peri was trying to think of a response, while she had recoiled from Leo as if he were poison it really didn't have anything to do with the man himself, and the man himself seemed genuinely concerned, but before she could say anything her innocent spoke,

"Leo I thought you were at magic school today? Is there something wrong?" Peri took a step back having been in-between the two blocking their sight of one another.

"Everything's fine I let, Wyatt and Chris, take over for a while at magic school. I thought I'd check on Phoebe's situation which seems be in our house, when I heard the commotion." Peri looked from one to the other and then asked what to her was the obvious question,

"What's a magic school?" Both husband and wife looked to her as if she had grown antlers.

"You have kids, didn't your Whitelighter talk to you about it?" Piper asked, and without thinking Peri snapped back,

"I don't have a Whitelighter." Again the couple gave her that look.

"But your son can orb, you must have had a Whitelighter at some point, and if I'm not mistaken your relationship would have been a more than just the regular Whitelighter-witch relationship." Peri closed her eyes, having forgotten completely that Carter's orbing immediately pegged him for what he was.

"You didn't see that, it never happened; now back to what we were discussing before the interruption. You are going to die within the next few days along with a young boy named Jay, and while you may think I'm Miss. demon incarnate I don't let my innocents die, so I'm going to need you to lie low while I take care of the swarm before the anointing 'k'?" Peri was now feeling slightly drained spelling it out for her innocent slash maybe aunt had also made her realize just what she had to do, and before it was time to pick up the twins. Peri was thinking about her premonition, when someone waved their there hand in front of her face,

"What?" Peri snapped,

"Okay lets get one thing straight I am not an innocent, second I was saving innocents before you were even born, and third what anointing?" Peri almost laughed, but stopped herself, it was the way her innocent stomped her foot, and voice peeked as she ran out of breath before finishing her sentence, it was like hearing Gwen complain about not getting her way, and to see a woman in her early fifties mirror her six year old daughter was to Peri priceless. In fact she wasn't the only one who found this display amusing, Leo was also holding back a smile, but of course this did not help her innocents aggravation.

"Why don't we all go take a seat in the kitchen, I'll make some tea or maybe a tumbler of gin and we'll talk about this anointing." The words were barely civil as Piper gritted them out, having realized how she must have sounded, and walked to the kitchen leaving Leo and Peri to follow her…

* * *

"This is it apartment B7." Phoebe said, and lifted her hand to knock on the door that belonged to Her, after three raps on the door with no answer Phoebe brought her raised hand to rest at her side. 

"Don't you think we should I don't know, knock." Paige said, having been delayed in the elevator while Phoebe and Henry had taken the stairs to the second floor apartment.

Phoebe continued to stare at the pale brown door with the silver 'B7' that's seven was slanted into the B.

"Maybe she's not home." Henry said beside her, and Phoebe sighed in dismay figuring her brother in-law was probably right.

"That's perfect, now we can snoop without her knowing." Paige said excitedly, and when she received slanted looks from both her sister and husband she explained,

"Okay so basically we orb in, we look at all her stuff, her stuff tells us about her, and then we leave armed with that knowledge. Come on its full proof." And without warning Paige grabbed her husband and sister's hands and orbed.

A few sconds leter...

"OWW. What the hell!" Henry exclaimed as he rubbed his head that seconds ago was slammed against a very thick wall, along with his wife and sister in-law.

"She blocked my orb." Paige exclaimed quite perturbed, which even in headache inducing pain Henry found adorable, as he helped the girls to their feet. The girls started to debate how to get passed Peri's wards, but came to the conclusion that unless they knew what she used to block entrance they couldn't get in.

While they were doing this Henry bent down to examine the doorknob.

"What are you doing?" Paige asked, squinting her eyes trying to decipher what he found so interesting about the metal doorknob.

"You said she blocked your orb, but could she block a picklock?" Henry asked, brandishing a small wire that had a curved bit at the top.

"We can't do that, that's like breaking in isn't it?" Phoebe said, looking from Paige to Henry.

"How is that nay different from what we were doing before. I say we do it, but it's up to you." Henry could see Phoebe's wheel turning, and knew that she would inevitably agree with him, but first she had to think over the moral implications of it. For while she would have been willing to do it Paige's way no problem, actually breaking in the mortal way seemed so much more invasive, but as Henry had predicted she nodded her head in the positive for him to continue. Bending down o one knee Henry went to work.

"You're doing it wrong, you need to get behind the metal thing-a-magigs." Paige said from behind Henry, having also bent down next to the door and her husband.

Henry gave her a look, and she smiled stood up, and let him get back to work.

There was an audible click as the door unlocked, Henry stood up satisfied with his work, and gestured for Phoebe to open the unlocked door. He knew this was something she needed to do, after all if it was his daughter he wouldn't want someone else opening the door to her life without his express permission. He watched Phoebe step forward determination written all over her face, the guise was lost only by an unmistakable pause in her step, before finally opening the door to apartment B7.

* * *

It was time, so many years in the making and it was finally time, the warlock thought as he twirled a reddish black potion in an ornate bottle. Peri Wolf had been so young, still was, and yet never had he seen the sparkle of innocence even as a child, she had been an adult in almost every sense that counted. Her magic had never been adolescent, its power had raged from conception calling to him, begging for his hand to intervene, and had it not been for Them this time might have come sooner, it might have been swifter. But no, no They had to thwart his every attempt, first as a child in her mothers womb he had tried to gain her power, by convincing her mother in every way that the baby she carried was not in fact hers. It had almost worked too, but the Seer had betrayed him, and then well then he thought all was lost when he too watched the death of all the counsel leaders, and surrogate mother herself parish. It wasn't until three long months of defeat later that he felt that power once again of how marvelous it was, but cloaked by **THEM. **No matter he was a patient man, and he searched for many years, then there she was so young, yet so old, her magic pulsating ripe for the pickings, he had been foolish then, and underestimated the girl, who was barely into her teens. She escaped then, and again, but not without the loss of her darling Whitelighter, father of her children. Now, now it was time, he now knew it wasn't time for any off those other attempts to harness what drew him too her like a snake to fresh meat. She hadn't been complete then, not as she was now, her family made her stronger, and when she was strong her powers grew. Soon, he thought, very soon, Peri Wolf would be his, and not even They could stop it…

* * *

Sorry for the wait, but here it finally is. Thanks to all who reviewed last Chap, and also thanks for your well wishes to my very own family emergency it was greatly appreciated. 

R&R Cause

1. There's a hole in my imaginational bucket, dear reader, dear reader,

there's a hole in my imaginational bucket, dear reader, a hole.

2. Then mend it, dear writer, dear writer, dear writer,

then mend it, dear writer, dear writer, mend it!

3. With what shall I mend it, dear reader, dear reader with what shall I mend it, dear reader dear reader, with what?

4. With a straw, dear writer, dear writer, with a straw, dear writer, dear writer, a straw.

5. The straw is too long, dear reader, dear reader, the straw is too long, dear reader, dear reader, too long.

6. Then cut it, dear writer, dear writer, then cut it dear writer, dear writer, cut it!

7. With what shall I cut it, dear reader, dear reader, with what shall I cut it, dear reader, dear reader, with what?

8.With a knife, dear writer, dear writer, with a knife dear writer, dear writer, a knife.

9. The knife is too dull, dear reader, dear reader, the knife is too dull, dear reader, dear reader, too dull.

10. Then sharpen it, dear writer, dear writer, then sharpen it dear writer, dear writer, sharpen it!

11. On what shall I sharpen it, dear reader, dear reader, on what shall I sharpen it dear reader, dear reader, on what?

12. On a review, dear writer, dear writer, on a review, dear writer dear writer, a review.

13. The reviews are too few, dear reader, dear reader, the reviews are too few, dear reader, dear reader, too few.

14. Then get more, dear writer, dear writer, then get more, dear writer, dear writer, get more!

15. With what shall I get them, dear reader, dear reader, with what shall I get them, dear reader, dear reader, with what?

16. Try chapters, dear writer, dear writer, try chapters, dear writer, dear writer, chapters.

17. In what shall I write in, dear reader, dear reader, In what shall I write in, dear reader, dear reader, in what?

18. In an imaginational bucket, dear writer, dear writer, In an imaginational bucket, dear writer, dear writer, in a bucket.

19. There's a hole in my imaginational bucket, dear reader... a hole.


	14. Of connections and family ties

Sorry about the wait guys, my creative mind has been in a vise for a few days, and unable to form a coherent sentence. Any way her it is Of connections and family ties

* * *

Phoebe looked around, Peri's, apartment, and couldn't help but be impressed. It was incredibly small, and yet for some reason it didn't feel cramped, it felt like home. With pictures lining the walls, almost every single one of Carter and Gwen, and very few of Peri whom Phoebe assumed was the one taking all the photos. When she walked in further she was in what she assumed was the living room/reading room with an entire wall covered by a large bookshelf almost completely full. 

"Damn, she's got a lot of books." Paige commented, as she too entered the apartment followed by Henry.

"Huh, kind of an odd assortment." Henry said examining its contents.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, although her attentions were still focused on the photos, one in particular of a younger Peri who looked to be full term, and completely unaware of the photo being taken as she was busy busing tables, her long brown hair caught in a messy pony tail, and looking very tired, but what struck Phoebe most was her smile it reminded her so much of Cole, and to her surprise that was beginning to upset her less and less.

"Well it's a mix of Textbooks and children's stories, not to mention an entire collection of classical reading material, and herbalism." Henry's reply caught Phoebe off guard, though she couldn't put her finger on why,

"Why is that odd, she's attending college hense the textbooks, she has kids so children's stories are a given, the classics well maybe she just likes them, and the herbalism is because she needed a reference to make potions, but hey I'm just guessing." Paige's rationalization suited Henry, but Phoebe found something off about her collection, it wasn't what was there more like what wasn't,

"In my premonition the one I shared with her I saw her reading from an old book kind of like the book of shadows, but it wasn't it was kind of like an appendix with lots of references. Do you see anything like that…" Phoebe stopped short, and ventured past the kitchen and into the hallway entering the door on the right.

"What were you saying?" Paige asked following her sister into the room leaving Henry in the living room still looking in the shelfs.

Upon entering Phoebe saw two twin beds a toy chest and surprisingly a telescope in the corner.

"I guess this makes you a grandma. Now if we can persuade one of our nephews or niece to produce I'll be the young hip aunt and you two can be the slightly older grandma's." Paige said jokingly, as she hugged her very shocked sister.

"They were so cute weren't they. Twins god how do you do that I couldn't handle one on my own." Paige smiled at her sisters bemused look, and said

"Twins aren't that bad."

"Yeah but you had Henry there to balance things out. She…wait why didn't she have someone? What kind of guy or whitelighter I'm assuming because Carter can orb leaves the mother of his child?" Phoebe was angry though she didn't really have a right to be considering she didn't know the whole story.

"Maybe he didn't have a choice." Paige supplied, and reluctantly they left the room rejoining Henry in the living room. Paige sat down in a recliner chair, and Phoebe sent her a wayward look,

"We're here to snoop not relax." To this Paige simply shrugged, Phoebe smiled slightly at her sister antics till she noticed the picture next to the chair Paige was occupying.

Phoebe gasped as she came to inspect the end table where the picture was she couldn't believe her eyes. On the end table there was a small picture frame, and in it were two someones who looked incredibly familiar.

"Phoebe are you okay?" Paige asked standing up next to her sister, when she too saw the picture although her reaction was slightly more physical as she almost fell backwards only to have Henry catch her before she hit the ground.

"Oh yeah that's the Chief of police down at the SFPD, he's old blood apparently only having transfered briefly 18 years ago due to personal reasons, it's rumor that he used to bring psychic's to crime scenes." Henry said jokingly, but then did a double take and added, "Of course now that I'm married to a witch/guardian angel that doesn't seem so weird." Henry's input went right over the girls heads as they continued to stare not only at their old friend, but also at the woman who had been Piper's OB. _Dr. Ava Nicolae,_ Phoebe thought to herself.

"Paige, SFPD now!" Phoebe grabbed her sisters hand while Paige did the same to Henry with her other hand, and they disappeared in a swirl of blue orbs…

* * *

"Awesome kitchen." Peri commented, as she walked into the enormous kitchen with every utensil a cook could ever want lining every counter-top and cabinet. 

"Do you cook?" Piper asked, as she took a seat on the right side of the breakfast table while Leo took the one opposite her. Peri was still taking in her surroundings before she too took a seat at the table in-between the two.

"Are kidding me, I don't know what I'd do without the solace of the kitchen." Peri said, receiving smiles from Piper and a knowing look from Leo.

"I actually own a restaurant, and I was well still am a chef so I know what you mean." Piper's smile Peri thought was probably the most lovely and motherly she'd ever seen, so much so it almost made her forget why she was there or the fact that this woman was a perfect stranger and not her…her _Aunt, _Peri thought begrudgingly to herself.

"Okay so this demon cult is part of a sub group of demons called swarms. There are a few different types of swarm demons obviously there is the hive where a queen is dominate over her workers, then you have the collective mind. What we're dealing with is a little different then those. This swarm does have a collective mind, but they also have a counsel of individually minded originally human beings who lead the swarm. Every hundred years or so they anoint the next counsel member by changing a mortal human into a demon." Peri's long winded explanation didn't seem to faze either of the two seated before her something she was very grateful for, considering they only had a limited amount of time to stop the anointing.

"Okay we're with you so far, but how does this have anything to do with the demon that attacked the other day, he wasn't a swarm demon was he?" Piper asked the question that had been burning in the back of Peri's head since that day.

"That I still can't figure out your right that demon was not a swarm demon. That's something I plan to look into thoroughly right after saving this boy and well you." Peri was still trying to figure out just how she was supposed to do that.

"Why would Piper be in danger, you killed the demon who attacked her, and as you said it wasn't part of the swarm." Leo said, and Peri like a moth to a flame couldn't help but think back to Jack briefly, _why do I keep doing that? _Peri thought to herself before answering his question,

"In my premonition part of the anointing process is killing an innocent in this case that's you." Peri said looking directly at Piper.

"Alright so lets go kill some demons, I'll call Paige and she can orb us to their lair or is it a hive?" Peri was flabbergasted at Piper's disregard for her life. She had basically just told her she was going to be killed by a swarm of demons and she wanted to go to the heart of her demise without even researching some alternative.

"Are you crazy? You can't go into a demon fight half-cocked you don't even know what their powers are." Peri was astonished that what seemed like an educated woman would show so little preparedness in this kind of situation.

"Look here I've been a charmed one for longer than you've been alive, and since when did newbie witches show such caution." Peri's face must have read pissed off cause Leo sat back a little in his chair almost like a reflex.

"Well while you may have been in the business longer than me I'm no green witch. I've been doing this crap since I was like six so don't get all high and mighty on me. Second just because I'd like to go blast these feral creatures back to where they came from doesn't mean I'm going to." Peri was about to add something to that when Piper asked,

"Six, but there's no way you could have done that so young." Peri's anger deflated replaced by a mild irritation.

"Well I didn't actually fight them at six I more like ran. A lot. But when my active powers developed a few years later, I did. Why is that so hard to believe? Don't your boys demon hunt with you?" Piper seemed a little offended by this when she said,

"Not until they were 16 and even then not without me or my sisters. How could you possibly have protected yourself against evil at that age?"

She couldn't quite understand why Piper was having any issues until she thought about her own kids, and how to Piper an obvious mom would feel letting her babies fight off such evil.

"Never mind I get it, but you have to understand I didn't grow up like most kids. I didn't have the luxury of someone protecting me, and really it wasn't much of a choice it was survival." Peri couldn't believe how different she felt from this woman who moments ago she had thought she had a kinship with. It wasn't that she didn't like the woman, or even that deep down she longed for someone like Piper to bond with like maybe niece and aunt might, but the fact that it was growing very clear she didn't belong here in this beautiful kitchen with a woman who supposedly was part of her biological family. The sadness in that one thought was crippling because somewhere along the way Peri had thought that maybe she could be part of something as foreign as a large family that's tree went on for miles.

"Just stay low for a while I'll work this out. I think if I can find the boy in time I might be able to stop the anointing and maybe even take out the swarm all together. Besides I think I better go." Peri stood up only for Piper to reach out and gently pulled her back into the chair seat.

"I know you could probably do this with out us it's pretty clear you're used to doing things on your own, but your not alone anymore." Piper paused a moment her eyes watering, "You're a Halliwell Peri through and through, and I know it doesn't feel like it now, but that means never having to go it alone." Piper's voice broke at the last and she reached out for Peri's hand with her own. Peri was hesitant, but after a moment took her hand. Piper's hand was warm and it clasped hers firmly as if saying that no matter what that hand would still be holding on to the last, Peri thought that perhaps it was trying to convey that she truly wasn't alone, and taking a deep breath Peri let herself if only for a moment imagine spending lazy afternoons in this kitchen with her aunt preparing all sorts of dishes sharing in some of life's simple pleasures like the smell of freshly baked cookies or kneading dough. Pulling her hand away Peri regrettable left her fantasy world collapse back to reality. In the real one Peri thought to herself _there are no fairy tale moments, no easy times,_ _and she didn't belong to this family, even if they did share genetics. _

"I appreciate that, but family isn't something your born with it's something you create over time, and since I've only known you a few days I can't be family." Again Peri stood up though this time with a heavy heart.

"We understand it's hard for you to accept, and we all will need a time of adjustment, but that doesn't mean we can't ever be more than just strangers." Leo's statement didn't go unnoticed by Peri still she couldn't help, but remind herself of all the years she spent alone. Where were they then when she needed them most, and why now?

Piper could sense Peri's angst, and instead of capitalizing on what her husband had said like she had planned she decided on a different course of action.

"Look right now let's just worry about your premonition. After all we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other after we take care of the swarm right?" Peri tried to find fault in her plan, but focusing on work didn't seem like such a risky move, and having back up would be better than going up against an entire cult by herself.

"Alright what do you suggest we do first?" Piper smiled a wide smile, and lead Peri out of the kitchen and up the stair Leo trailing along behind them…

* * *

Next chapter will be Of old friends and bonding 

Okay so the story was the dip and the reviews are the chips. And frankly without chips there could be no chips and dip.


	15. Of old friends and new tricks

Okay so here you go Of old friends and new tricks. A big thanks to all who R&R last chap it was very inspirational

_Anything in italics is either a thought or a detailed story._

* * *

Paige orbed them to an SFPD janitorial closet with Phoebe and Henry in tow.

They all ended up melded together in the small room with cleaning supplies, mops, and brooms taking up a majority of the space.

"Damn, Henry you've been working out." Someone muttered from behind Henry who he wasn't quite certain cause it was a mere whisper.

"Phoebe!" Paige elbowed what she thought was her sister.

"Ow!" Henry yelped when a small bony elbow jabbed his kidney.

"Can we get out of this closet please?" Phoebe said, as she tried to push her way to the door, and as her hand fell on the knob she felt it turn, and she hadn't done the turning.

As soon as the door opened Henry, Phoebe and Paige all fell unceremoniously out of the closet each tripping the other landing them on the hard floor with a great view of a pair of Birkenstock boots.

"What were y'all doing in my closet? You do know this is a police station don't ya? You could get arrested for fornicating in a place like this." Said an old voice probably in his early seventies, Henry was the first to recover from the collapse and stood brandishing his Parole Officer badge to the old man, before helping the girls to their feet.

"I don't care what kinda officer you are, there will be no fornicating in my closet." The janitor said again, Henry looked like he was about to say something, but Paige gently touched his arm and they walked toward the glass door that lead to the police office without a word to the muttering janitor. Henry opened one of the glass doors and went inside holding the door open for the girls on the other side,

"And who says chivalry's dead." Phoebe whispered to her sister as they entered,

"Hey if he wants to do the heavy lifting that's fine with me." Paige whispered back a conspiratorial smile playing across her face.

"Dirty girl." Phoebe playfully jabbed at her sister, who laughed it off as she took her husbands hand and they walked to the back office where they could make out the shadow of a tall figure pacing with a phone to his ear through the mesh glass door.

"Are you sure this is a good idea I mean we haven't talked to Darryl in over a decade." Paige said as the came to a stop in front of the door, which had a sign in black that stated

Chief of Police, D. Morris 

Henry had flagged down a policeman Paige recognized as one of Henry's friend they had had over for a barbeque last spring.

"I'm going to be over here if you need me." Henry said, as he pecked Paige's cheek and at her nod went to join his cop friend at a desk near by.

"I just want to know how Peri and him know each other alright that's all." Phoebe's words didn't belay the look of betrayal she wore, but Paige understood.

Without hesitation Paige opened the unlocked door of the Chief of Police and before the man could turn around had it closed and locked her and Phoebe securely inside the room.

"I told you no interruptions!" Darryl yelled his hand covering the receiver of his phone, having been interrupted he assumed by an officer only to realize too late it wasn't one of his wards, but none other than two of three charmed ones standing in his office.

"Hi there, sorry but we need to ask you something real quick. Have a minute." Paige said cheerily and was answered only by Darryl's promise to call whomever he was on the phone with back.

"Paige, Phoebe what are you doing here?" Paige had expected a lot of things from Darryl at their abrupt reentry into his life, but of all things fear wasn't one of them. And if Paige wasn't mistaken by the tone of his voice not only was he afraid, he was petrified.

"Why so jumpy Darryl, have something to _hide_?" Phoebe asked venom dripping from every word, and Darryl's fear became more understandable to Paige. After all what do you expect when you hide a charmed ones child from their mother.

"I was protecting her." He said and Paige held Phoebe back when she lunged for him.

"Phoebe don't. Let him explain, and then you can dismember him any way you see fit." Paige reasoned with her sister,

"After all he must have a very, very good reason for hiding your child from you all these years, right?" Paige asked Darryl the sweetness in her voice so thick it could mean only one thing. Pain.

"Look I didn't know who she was until it was too late, and when she came back I knew, and I tried I really did, but she didn't want to know about you or who her parents were." Darryl tried to explain, but even he found it to be inadequate when looking at Peri's mother who was obviously deeply hurt by his betrayal even after all these years.

"When did you meet her? How old was she?" Phoebe asked her eyes watering slightly partly because of the betrayal partly because an old friend knew her daughter better then she did, and partly because that all could have been avoided if Darryl had contacted them the first time he knew for sure Peri was hers even if it wasn't that long ago. Phoebe figured Peri must have met Darryl for something pertaining to her law degree so it couldn't have been very long ago still every moment counted especially to Phoebe.

"The first time when she was…sixteen." Darryl refused to look at them and took to examining in great detail the dent in his desk.

"Sixteen!" Phoebe screeched, and at her sisters frantic look she quieted her anger to a raging boil and asked in calmer, deadlier voice,

"Are you sure that was the first time you saw her?" Darryl shot a quick look towards her before yet again returning his gaze downward.

"No the first time I saw Peri was when she was a little under four months old." Paige didn't see it coming, but by the time she realized what her sister was doing it was too late to stop it, not that she would have…

Phoebe's fist connected with Darryl's jaw with that sound reserved for powerful skin to skin contact, propelling Darryl backwards with it's force, and Phoebe heard more than felt the break happen in her hand.

Darryl was holding his jaw that had a jagged scratch on it from a ring on one of Phoebe's finger, he was silent in his pain, but it was nothing compared to the guilt baring down on him when he saw a tear fall from Phoebe's eye a woman who had saved his life on countless occasions.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he saw the way she was holding her hand, and he knew by the force of the blow that it must be broken.

"Why, how could you do this to me? Did you think I was such a bad person I couldn't even raise my own daughter!" Phoebe asked or more demanded as silent tears made trails down her flawless skin.

"No, it wasn't like that I…I didn't know she was yours it took me months to make the connection and by then she had already been adopted. I tried anyway though to get her out of it I was going to tell you, but They told me I couldn't, and I should have done it anyway I know I should have, but They wouldn't let me…"Darryl seemed at a loss for words his mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out, he too had watery eyes and was still slightly bent over from the blow.

Paige who had watched the scene unfold went first and healed Phoebe's broken hand, and then to Darryl who waved her off, but being the whitelighter that she was Paige ignored him and healed his jaw as well.

"We don't know the whole story Phoebe, and I know it hurts, but we have to face the fact that someone not Darryl but someone kept Peri from us." Paige helped her sister sit in one of the two chairs facing Darryl's desk while Darryl took the chair behind the desk bent over with his head in his hands.

"Darryl tell us from the beginning." Paige demanded lightly sitting down herself still holding her sisters hand.

He looked like he might protest, but instead he leant back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

"It was four months since I took you to Cole's apartment to cover up the crime scene…

_It was a Saturday I was working the night shift for a friend of mine so he could take his son to a baseball game, I had gone into the Chiefs office to grab some files on a case I was working on. I was only gone from my desk a few second, but when I came back there was a bundled up blanket on my desk, and when it moved I almost came out of my skin. I dropped the files I was holding, and being the only officer on desk duty that night no one noticed. The blanket moved again, but no sound came from it. So when I picked it up off my desk I was very surprised to find a baby girl wrapped up inside. I was afraid something was wrong with her I mean babies usually cry when they're in a strange place or for a thousand other reasons, but not her. Still I called an ambulance to take the infant and myself to the hospital as per protocol when a child is abandoned. It wasn't until the doctor at the hospital was examining her that I noticed the note inside her blanket. It read Her name is Peri. Signed Benjamin. I read the note out loud to the doctor and he said that Peri wasn't a real name, but during the week where Peri was being put up for adoption it was the only name that seemed to fit her, and so there it was she Peri and she took the last name of her foster parents Wolf. Unfortunately two years later the mother died and the father felt unable to take care of Peri. That was when I started putting two and two together, and with some digging I found out exactly who Peri was, that's when They appeared…Darryl paused and looked around almost as if he was afraid something would jump out of the shadows at him before continuing though this time his voice barely above a whisper,_

_They showed me things a future so horrible, they showed me my children's graves and mine right along side theirs, they said if I told any one about 'the prophecy child' that's what they kept calling her that in the near future all that I loved would die, and the rest of the world with it. But I couldn't do it I didn't know for sure they were telling the truth and I knew if they were you guys would be able to stop it, but when I tried to tell you anyway they knocked me out used some sort of memory eraser. It wasn't until over fourteen years later that I remembered and by then she was all grown up and expecting a child of her own…I knew that if I tried to tell you they would just do what they did before. So instead I looked after her knowing that if anything I could at least lend a helping hand, only she ended up helping me more than I her. After Sheila and I divorced and with the boys away at college all I really had was work, but Peri would invite me to go out with her and the twins, and for dinner on Sundays, I'm even the twins godfather_," Darryl choked on the last but his words didn't falter, _"she's like a daughter to me Phoebe, I would do anything for her, but nothing will make up for the life she led because I wasn't able to get to you in time…_Darryl finished and put his head back in his hands trying to hold back the unslought of emotions. Phoebe felt deflated her anger having turned to sorrow at what was lost, and she realized that it truly wasn't Darryl's fault and reached out to hold his hand trying to convey that change of mind…

* * *

"I'm kind of sick of this attic." Peri said, vaguely annoyed at Piper's habit of leading her by her hand everywhere they went, from the foray to the kitchen, from the kitchen to the attic, and all over the attic. 

"Who's babysitting you're kids?" Piper asked completely ignoring the irritated looks Peri was throwing her way.

"A friend of mine is taking care of them today; so that I can take care of you." Peri said knowing it would get on the witch's nerves. Whom she had found got quite perturbed when treated like she was being handled, Peri smiled evilly and decided to prey on that.

"You know because if I'm not careful you could end up on the wrong side of a lightening bolt." Piper whirled around dropping Peri's hand only to figure out what she was doing before saying anything rash.

"Hah, nice try." Piper told her triumphantly and continued her mad dash around the attic Peri still in tow. Peri figured the only reason she hadn't pulled away from the woman was that she didn't want to hurt her feelings. Since Piper seemed to have developed a misguided conclusion that Peri would eventually warm up to this whole situation and turn into Merry Sunshine, of course this only further proved Peri's earlier finality that she would never be able to accept this…Change in her life as a whole. It wasn't that she didn't want all those things a big family offered, especially for Carter and Gwen they could have Grandparents and great Aunts and Uncle not to mention cousins to play with, and perhaps that could help fill the void where…Jack was supposed to be. Still she couldn't ignore her ill feelings that had built over the years into a festering beast of disappointment. She had spent her whole life trying not to think about this…this family who shared her DNA adamant that she didn't need them and never would. For the most part she didn't she figured if she'd gotten this far on her own she truly had worn out the need for any of those things like motherly affection or a father's advice or even baking cookies with a favorite aunt. It was just to late Peri summarized maybe a few years ago she would have been more open to the idea, but now after living a full life on her own the probability of having a relationship with these strangers was nil. She only hoped Gwen and Carter could forgive her for this seeing that Gwen had already expressed joy at this new endeavor and as always Carter had seconded her though slightly less enthusiastically.

"Ah found it." Piper said in a sing-song voice snapping Peri out of her momentary lapse.

"Thank god, now can I have my hand back?" Peri asked sarcastically, Piper dropped her hand and made a tisking sound at her.

"So who's the father?" Someone from behind her asked, Leo by the sound of it.

Peri blanched slightly remembering they knew what Carter and Gwen were or at least what part of them was, and this on a basic level made Peri very antsy.

"Uh so what is it exactly that you found?" Peri asked Piper, hoping Leo would drop his currant line of questioning. Piper waved her off as she started mixing ingredients in a small pot.

"You have nothing to fear. We know their part Whitelighter." Piper said nonchalantly as she continued stirring absorbed in her work.

"This is non of your business. Like at all." Peri said yet again vainly thinking that perhaps it would stop this conversation dead.

"Humor us, after all it's not like we won't find out eventually." Leo's deadpan answer almost shocked Peri if it weren't for immediate mistrust for people she might have been discouraged by Leo's insensitive inquiry. Then again they had no way of know how this particular subject effected her or how much pain she had been through because of it.

Rationally though she could see no reason other than her not wanting to for not telling whom the father of her children was. It seemed that they wouldn't alert the elders to Gwen and Carter's status if they hadn't already. After all it wasn't like she had to tell them everything.

"Jack was my Whitelighter, and Carter and Gwen's father." Peri said, though the words themselves didn't reveal very much the anguish she felt spoke volumes when Jack's name passed her lips. Leo and Piper shared a look, and then Piper asked the question Peri had dared to hope wouldn't be asked,

"And when you say 'was' you mean…?" Peri was still for a moment silent in her thought before answering,

"I mean he is up there now." This time Peri showed no emotion when she spoke, only a slight twinge in her facial expression.

"Huh, that's crappy I thought at least he would have had a better scapegoat then that." Peri took a double take knowing the words out of Piper's mouth couldn't have been said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Peri asked incredulously, not quite understanding the situation.

"Well I mean what kind of Whitelighter knocks up his charge then goes up there, abandoning that responsibility." Peri was now more confused than angry; did this witch really think death was a choice?

"It's not like he had a choice." Piper laughed unceremoniously at that, but then made a confused look of her own when she saw the look on Peri's face.

"What did you mean by 'up there'." Piper asked, and Peri began to understand what Piper had mixed up. It only made it harder to say, and by that point she didn't even want to try.

"He died. He never knew that I was…" Piper finished her sentence,

"Pregnant." Peri turned away from the couples pitying looks and immediately flipped that switch the one she had installed for situations like this, and went from personal to business.

"So what exactly are you doing over there I mean it's not like a few herbs are going to help us find this kid right?" Peri asked her tone all business, her eyes daring them to question the change in conversation. Thankfully it seemed the couple had come to an unspoken agreement to let it go, at least for the moment.

"There are some herbs but mostly oils. I'll coat the scrying crystal in it and you can scry with it and it should pinpoint the location of our innocent." Peri ignored Piper's indication that her innocent had magically turned to theirs and focused on the slightly less irritating part.

"I thought you had to have something of the person you were scrying for?" Piper put the crystal in the small cauldron to soak in the solution before putting in one extra ingredient that made a slight 'puff' sound followed by a thick gray smoke.

"My brilliant Chris and I whipped this up a few years ago. Basically when a witch gets a premonition it usually happens through touch so there is a metaphysical seal left on the witches skin kind of like an invisible coat. This mixture helps channel that into the crystal projecting the object or person of said premonition on that map." Peri was amazed she had never once thought about mixing potion and crystal together they had always seemed like such foreign types of magic, but as Peri was learning their were no separate types of magic they all were truly one collective.

"That's extremely useful." Peri still couldn't quote wrap her mind around it, but before she could ask anymore questions Piper handed the dripping crystal to her and pointed over to a laminated map on a cherry wood table. Quickly so as not to loose any of the moisture on the scrying tool she went over to the table and concentrated briefly before holding out her hand over the map. Immediately as if possessed, which Peri reasoned that in a way it was the thin crystal began spinning in a frantic circle going one way for a third of a second then changing to the other direction finally settling on a area just a few miles from their location.

"Alright well I guess I'll go check this out. Thanks for the magical assist." Peri said briskly and was about to shimmer out when Piper called her back though Peri didn't catch what she had yelled.

"What?" She asked wanting get to her innocent as fast as she could before…Well before her premonition could take place. Also she wouldn't lie and say she didn't relish the idea of getting away from these people In the near future.

"I thought we agreed to do this together." Piper said, and Peri didn't need foresight to see what was going to happen next. First she would argue her side say it was better to go in as one so as not to scare the boy, then Piper and Leo would brig up the demons and their magnitude, but in the end none of this would matter because in the end nothing else took precedence over the innocent and if she stayed here too much longer the only innocent she'd be saving was in this room. With this Peri resigned to the only logical option,

"Alright, but you follow my lead okay?" Piper and Leo smiled at Peri and they both walked forward Leo holding Pipers hand and Piper much to Peri re-ignited irritation picking up her hand.

"Ready." Piper said cheerily and with that Peri shimmered them out…

* * *

"Is she?" 

"Yes."

"Then it's time, go." Conversation ended the man walked out of the blank eternity and into the shining light of day his dark blue eyes turning to pinpoints at the intensity…

* * *

All right next chapter will be Of still living and Elders 

_R&R Because your awesome and I need some of your awesome word juice to get mine going._

I do not own charmed at all or any of its characters


	16. Of crashing blows and psychic pain

Okay so as I was writing I realized that the title I had chosen for this chapter didn't really fit it's content, so instead here is Of crashing blows and psychic pain.

* * *

Peri stared at the Victorian style house that blocked out the sun as dusk took over, and sighed. The day was almost done, and yet there was so much left to do. First she had to detach Piper from her who was connected just as securely with Leo, then she had to figure out exactly what she was supposed to say to this kid who was going to be the next counsel member to a very evil demon cult bent on destroying all things good as they all seem to be, Eva still had the kids whom she was having severe withdrawal from, and she had yet to forget about the strange man claiming to be her father who had led her to this premonition in the first place. All in all it was a very long migraine-inducing list, and as with all things it would go down hill before it made the long trek back up. Soon she was headed up the red brick path way to the house that led to the front door, when she heard the sickening sound of child's scream, followed closely by the crashing of glass.

"What the hell was that?" Piper asked advancing her pace to the entryway, Peri wasted no time answering her question, and shimmered out of Piper's hold.

The scene inside was nothing short of a nightmare. Glass and furniture was strewn and broken on every inch, scorch marks and holes born into the walls, and a huddled figure in the corner with blood stains on his shirt bent over a body that lay still on the cherry hardwood floor. It was a far cry from the picture perfect landscape of the out doors, and yet for Peri this was the most familiar one. Within seconds after she had made her quick observations a tunnel of fire flew over her head, and when she whirled behind her to see where the attack had come from, her whole body tensed, her mind went blank, and her limbs took over alternating between fireball and T.K varies objects at the attacker.

She vaguely registered the front door being blown open, and Piper and Leo running in, but her focus was solely for the man who she was now engaging in a game of duck and attack with. Peri missed dodging a flame by the thinnest hair, and felt the unique sting of burnt flesh on the side of her neck. Though she didn't falter in her attacks her movements became slightly less elegant and swift, as they had been before. Getting tired of the back and forth, Peri flew forward rushing the man while throwing her right arm in a sweeping motion that brought all the debris of wood and glass hurtling toward her attacker, only for it to stop short of the man in mid-air. While the man himself was frozen as well, his face distorted by the poor lighting and the many objects moments from his frame, Peri quickly turned back toward Piper and Leo who had gone to assist the huddled figures she had first noted upon entering. Piper stood her hand in a very familiar position her hair disheveled much like Peri's was almost completely loose of the single braid holding in place, and she too was now wearing blood, but not her own.

"Is the boy okay?" Peri asked, her blood thrumming with adrenaline, and her body only vaguely registering the pain in her side from an earlier hit, and the pulsating throb emitting from her burn.

"The boy is, dad not so much we need to call Paige or Wyatt to heal him, and you." Leo spoke for Piper who seemed at a loss for words, and Peri inclined her head slightly to agree with him, but hissed in pain when the tender skin flared with new life, making her break into a cold sweat, as she held back the scream that threatened to crawl out of her throat.

"Dad? Dad? Please?" Peri heard the boy's broken whisper to his father's unmoving form, and she felt her heart lurch in response, she knew that pleading all to well. It was the sound of the approaching death, an unwritten omen to the closing of a life, and the scaring of another's.

"Paige might be in public, Wyatt's at magic school he's our best bet." Leo commented to Piper who nodded in response, and they both let out a call for their eldest son who orbed in seconds later, wearing teacher's robes and holding what looked like an ancient…sword? Peri did a double-take, _Why am I not surprised?_, Peri thought to herself barely containing the urge to roll her eyes.

"Wyatt." Piper said, and as if reading his mother's mind the young man immediately bent down to the man who was still deathly still his body crumbled as if tossed lifelessly against the wall. Which brought Peri back to the attacker who was still frozen back pressed against a wall facing the array of equally frozen objects poised in mid-air. She drew closer knowing for sure he wasn't part of the swarm demons neither from her premonitions nor like the one that had attacked Piper and her. She was inches from being able to discern his face, when Wyatt came forward having put the sword down too heal her wound, momentarily distracting her from her currant route. She wasn't keen on letting this stranger heal her, hell she wouldn't even let Jack try till she had broken her bones beyond repair, but she supposed with age she had to have gained more sensibility, and the only logical step was to let the half-whitelighter heal her. With that she leant her head back slightly to give him more easy access, and as she felt his hands ghost over the burn, she momentarily closed her eyes in anguish as she had a flash of the last time she had been healed by _her_ whitelighter, knowing that Wyatt would simply mistake this action as a response to the healing process she let herself release a frustrated sigh. She didn't tell him about the bruise on her side knowing that it's severity was probably minor, and figuring a long soak in the tub and a pain killer would take care of that. Eager to unmask the maskless man, Peri thanked Wyatt with a slight smile and nod, and continued forward what she found was nothing short of death defying…

"What's wrong?" Piper asked when they heard Peri's gasp, but Peri's attention was for the man in front of her, and not even the sound of the objects and the man unfreezing awoke her from her stupor. The man dodged the array of items, and flashed in a bright light out of the room. Piper cursed, and Wyatt tried to leap forward to grab the man before he got away, all the while Peri stood stalk still, unmoving unable to her world was crumbling around her, and as she felt her body jerk at a sudden stabbing pain in her side, she fell to the floor, a name on her lips,

"Jack?"…

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"We should go home, and tell Piper about Darryl." Phoebe said, to Paige who had rounded up Henry after their confrontation with the Chief of Police. Darryl had promised to call them if he heard anything from Peri, and to come by this afternoon to discuss whatever beings had made him forget about Peri to begin with. They had all decided to take this one step at a time, which meant that Darryl was going to help them piece the puzzle together, something he had been more than willing to accommodate wanting to make up for lost time any way he could. Phoebe still couldn't shake her anger toward her old friend, but it was cooling to a simmer the closer she felt she was getting to her first child. They had walked back into the hall outside of the police office, the angry janitor nowhere in site as they slipped back into the janitorial closet, and Paige orbed them back to the manor.

What they were met with upon materializing in the solarium, sent Phoebe's heart racing, and her feet as well as she ran to the young woman she had met only a few days ago, lying on the sofa seemingly unconscious. Phoebe saw Wyatt bent over her trying to find the point of injury so he could heal her, and Leo was escorting a man in his forties and a young boy of about ten into another room, while Piper was holding Peri lifeless hand over her heart whispering something Phoebe couldn't hear to Peri.

Henry at Paige's request had gone t find out what was going on from Leo, and Paige went to help Wyatt with Peri.

"What the hell happened?" Phoebe asked her voice breaking slightly as she saw Wyatt and Paige's looked equally worried look as their glowing hand glided over her form.

"We were attacked." Piper said though she barely glanced at Phoebe before she retuned her gaze to the girl. Phoebe might have rolled her eyes at Piper's obvious statement, if it wasn't for the gravity of the situation.

"Jack." Phoebe heard Peri croak out in her unconscious state, and starting with a place deep in her heart a wave of pain washed over her emanating from her chest and quickly expanding everywhere else.

"Phoebe are you okay?" Piper asked, finally taking a real look at her sister for the first time since she entered the room with Paige and Henry. Phoebe was bent over slightly her hand clutched on her heart, and her breathing ragged. Paige left Peri's side leaving her to Wyatt, and came over to Phoebe trying to heal what wasn't there.

"Phoebe what's wrong?" Paige asked, when her healing touch seemed to have no effect on Phoebe's condition.

"I found it!" Wyatt exclaimed, as he raised the edge of Peri's shirt to reveal an expanding bruise that covered her abdomen.

"She has internal bleeding that's why it was so hard to find, we were look on the outside, when the wound was inside." Wyatt explained as he focused his hands over her stomach, and watched her breathing go from labored to slow even breaths as she slipped from unconsciousness to a deep sleep.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Phoebe asked still recovering from the psychic hit Peri had sent at her.

"She's just drained her body took a major hit, and by the circle's under her eyes she could probably use some sleep. I'm more worried about you, what happened?" Paige asked, as she led Phoebe to one of the wicker chairs at a small matching table.

"Whose Jack?" Phoebe asked receiving another agonizing jolt when she said his name, and when she looked over to the source of her empathy, she saw Peri jerk in her sleep slightly and her brow furrow before easing back into a limp position.

"She said it after the demon attack, right before the room unfroze and the demon well he didn't exactly shimmer or blink but was…Anyway right before she fell said Jack as if asking a question." Wyatt answered Phoebe's question, but ended up looking more confused than Phoebe was by the time he finished.

"Oh, no it can't be." Piper said sudden realization dawning on her, she walked back over to Peri who was still sleeping, and knelt down beside her again taking the hand she had let go to check on Phoebe.

"Piper you're not making sense, do you know what she meant?" Paige asked, becoming irritated with all the confusion that seemed to surround everything about Peri Wolf.

"Jack was her whitelighter, she told us before we went to find the boy from her premonition." Phoebe decided to ignore why Piper had not immediately called her upon seeing Peri, and focused on what exactly her sister meant. So Jack was her whitelighter what did that…,

"Oh my god, the twins orbed, so that would make Jack…" Phoebe let the words hang in the air as Paige and Wyatt pieced together the rest, and Piper sent a pitying look at Peri who was oblivious to all that was going on around her.

"She said he died before the twins were born, but that doesn't explain why she said his name before the demon got away." Leo said coming into the room having left Henry with the father and his son in the kitchen. Just as Phoebe got another shock of psychic pain coming from Peri the woman in question sat up with a start that name being voiced once more though this time the agony was gone replaced by a fury Phoebe channeled in spades…

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First off a big sorry for the wait, I got caught up exploring another Charmed story I'm thinking of writing, and lost my inspiration for this one in the process. Fear not though the fire has been rekindled and your R&Rs can help it's red flame turn blue. In other words more chapters deeper story. And as for the next chapter a little birdy from on high will be making a visit any guesses who? 


	17. Of Fury and Deception

Thanks to all who read and reviewed last chapter you all keep the story going.

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Chapter 15 Of Fury and Deception

Peri woke with a start jerking in the upright shirking off her body's protests, and let her anger encompass the unmistakable pain she felt and the ever-present worry that tended to consume her world. Instead she turned all her thoughts and attention to one task, and this meant she needed to call a higher power, screw the consequences and finally get some real answers. Of course first she had to deal with the empath that seemed to be channeling her anger and also channeling her magic who had made the room start to shake, then again Peri realized it might have been her doing this considering where her emotions were at the time.

Taking a deep breath and ignoring all the questions being thrown at her from almost everyone in the room, Peri closed her eyes and concentrated calling forth the one being she knew could give her some answers however unwilling they had been too before.

"What's she doing? Someone get a hold of Phoebe!" Piper ordered, she was still planted at Peri's side who was now in a deep meditative state, and seemed to be oblivious to her estranged mother's empathic strife. Paige went over to Phoebe whose eyes were also closed though more out of pain than concentration, and while she did in deed have a hold of Phoebe nothing seemed to stop the magical hurricane that was taking place. Piper tried freezing the room, but for some reason her magic wasn't strong enough to break through Peri's, and while Peri wasn't the one causing the magical earthquake it was her magic source that gave it life.

Peri stood up calmly breaking away from Piper and standing in the middle of the room eyes still closed, hands fisted at her sides the only indication she was feeling anything that Phoebe was feeling. Peri raised her right hand as if to stop something, and stop something she did everything in the room came to a complete halt the glass that had been shaking ever so threateningly calmed, and the ground gave a loud groan before coming to a stand still. Phoebe also came back into focus her eyes opening, and the signs of duress having left her leaving only a mild look of puzzlement in it's wake.

"I can't feel her anymore." Phoebe stated simply, and continued to stare bewildered at the young woman in the middle of the room who seemed in a world of her own as she chanted something inaudible to everyone else, the only telltale sign was her lips moving ever so slightly over the words.

"What is she doing?" Wyatt asked, having been forgotten on the other side of the room with his father unable to help the situation anymore than just staring.

"I'm calling the bastards to come give me a straight answer. Isn't that right, Alastair?" Peri turned on her heel just as an elder orbed in garbed in long white robes trimmed in gold bordering, and he seemed to be talking someone who wasn't there. It wasn't until the elder turned around abruptly that he made any sign of being interrupted.

Peri advanced on the elder giving no warning other than the deathly calm look on her face that commanded fear into the elder and anyone who looked at her directly. It was the look of a person pushed passed the breaking point, and for Peri this was exactly the case. It had been six long years since she had seen the elder Alastair and the other elders that had come and taken Jack's lifeless form from her death grip, and during that time she had been so afraid they would take Charter and Gwen from her she hadn't even considered calling to them for help or for an explanation. Peri was now standing very much in the elders' personal space her eyes doing all the talking for her.

"How dare you…" Before the elder could finish Peri had him thrown up against a wall her hands on his throat and her telekinesis holding him inches off the ground.

"No! How dare you! I have been afraid of you for too long Alastair, no more it's time for you to fear me!" Peri tightened her grip on his trachea to the point that she could only hear the faint whistle of breath move in and out of his mouth at an achingly slow pace.

"What the hell are you doing? Stop it!" Wyatt yelled coming forward to stop her, but was stopped short by his mother who held him in place.

"Wait." She said softly to her son, and then continued to watch the scene unfold.

Peri still had a hold of the elder, and slowly relaxed her grip on his throat so that he could speak, but kept him levitating in the air so that if need be she could again get a better grip on him. Cracking her neck to the left and then the right, Peri stared straight into the elders' eyes and where apprehension and outrage had been fear now stood.

"Is he alive?" Peri asked, her heart lurching in response, but knowing Phoebe was in the room she tried her best to keep that in check she didn't need another earthquake to explain.

The elder took a deep breath or at least as deep as he could manage with Peri's hand still wrapped around his neck.

Alastair had been speaking to Miranda another elder about Peri just recently about what might happen if she ever found out, and while they had discussed it in detail, exactly how to deal with the situation never came up. Now he wished they had spent more time mulling over en escape route and less on the severe consequence of what they had kept from the prophetic child.

"Answer me!" Peri demanded deep in her throat eliciting in a gravel sound that was not her own. She yet again tightened her grip on the elder leaving just enough room for him to speak and maybe breath.

"Yes." Was all the elder said, and in a fit of fury Peri T.K the elder across the room with the wave of her arm, she stood facing the wall for a time while she listened to the elder's robes rustle as he tried to get to his feet unsuccessfully having been knocked so hard against the wall his body left an indentation.

"Hey elders suck, but that doesn't mean you can attack them." Wyatt said pointedly to Peri, for which her only response was to glare threateningly at him, and advance once more on the elder. Just when Peri was a foot or so away from the cowering elder, who was preparing for another attack did Peri stop suddenly and bend down to eye level with him. Gently she lifted the elder's hand that had landed on some broken glass caused by the magical earthquake, and as painlessly as she could she picked the pieces of glass out one by one there were about three, and when she had that cleared she let the elder's hand go. Peri let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. After a moment more she addressed the elder who was half laying half sitting very quietly, waiting for what Peri would do next.

"I'm sorry I attacked you. I let my emotions get the better of me, and while that is unacceptable what you have done is unthinkable. You are going to tell me exactly what I want to know, then you are going to leave here and NEVER contact me or my children again. Understand?" When the elder nodded, and Peri had reconciled the fact that they had probably always known about Carter and Gwen, she continued, "And if you refuse to do either of these things, know that what I have shown here today…is restraint." Peri's voice had gotten increasingly lower almost so that only the elder could hear her, but no less firm, and when she stood silently and held out her hand to help the elder stand, she let him know with her eyes that she was done with violence for now.

With this the elder stood with the help of Peri who led him to the couch she had not five minutes ago occupied. When he was seated and resting comfortably against the back cushion Peri pulled the wicker chair from the table not in use by Phoebe spun it around so the back of the chair was facing the elder and straddled it looking pointedly at the elder.

All the while not Piper, Leo, Paige or Phoebe not even Wyatt broke the silence, as they all waited for what the elder had to say, and how Peri would react. After a moment of concentration the elder began,

"We foresaw a prophetic child born of demon and witch that would test the balance of good and evil, and would either lead as a defender of good or a revolutionary of evil magic, along side the child two more would later be born influenced by whatever side the child had chosen to follow, and together they would become a force as strong and as threatening as the Charmed ones and the twice blessed child. You are that child; your children are what complete the circle. As elders it is our duty to keep the grand design in place, and balance in the magical community, you threatened that."

The elder paused for a moment before continuing, noting Peri's impatient scowl that told him she didn't give a damn about some prophesy at least not at the moment, and to get to the crux of the matter. Jack.

"So we intervened, making a pact with the leaders of the underworld to better serve the life expectancy of both sides. The seer who was commissioned to the task of eliminating the problem knew how powerful that child would be, and so as evil tends to do went rogue, and with the powers given to her by the counsel members controlled the fetuses magic in such a way as to make the mother think the child evil, and when the time was right tried herself to seize the baby from the womb. She succeeded in taking the child from the mother and was almost granted the ultimate power, but before she could the counsel members as a show of 'good' graces got rid of her and the impressionable members of the underworld.

Our plan seemed to have worked although not as we had hoped, and for a time three months to be exact we struggled with the decision that had been made." Peri held up her hand to stop him, and asked what was burning on everyone's mind,

"Let's forget for a second that you're taking a very long time to answer my original question, and I'll ask the obvious, how exactly does an unborn baby survive the death of its incubator?" The elder frowned slightly at this before answering,

"I said she took you from your mothers womb I did not however say you stayed with the seer to her death. The underworld made a unanimous decision to keep you alive without our knowing, and raise you in the ways of evil. It took us three months to realize this, and now reconciled with the fact that no matter what we did the prophecy would find a way we set out to have you on our side. We made sure you were taken from the demons and placed in the care of your grandfather in another plane to keep you safe from the underworld until you were born, for nine months you grew inside a surrogate, only this took a matter of minutes in the real world, and after you were born we charged your grandfather and the gypsy Eva Nicolae to get you to safety." It was Phoebe's turn to interrupt finally finding her voice since her empathy had been taxed.

"Why did you keep this from us? How come she wasn't immediately brought to me?" Phoebe demanded, keeping her voice just barely above a whisper her anger so deep she didn't trust herself fully to even look at the elder seated before them.

"Why, you had already given the child up you never asked about her nor did you show any grief for her assumed death, besides you already had one child more powerful than a witch aught to be to deal with." Peri felt oddly stung by what the elder was saying, and somewhere deep down she couldn't help, but wonder if what he was saying was true, and if so why this woman and her whole family seemed so intent upon having her in their lives. It was then that something occurred to Peri, and before Phoebe whom was ready to bite the elders head off could have a go at him Peri interrupted with her own question,

"What did you mean by grandfather, if my own mother didn't want me why would he?" Peri heard Phoebe's immediate rejection that she did want her, and instead focused on what the elder was saying,

"Not your grandfather on your mothers side the one on your fathers." Peri was reluctant to believe anything this elder had to say at the moment especially at the mention of her father who at this moment was… Well she didn't exactly know what he was. So she asked a question that would either prove or discredit the truth in all this,

"What was his name?" But before the elder could answer, Phoebe did,

"Benjamin Turner." Peri sighed at the dashing of her glimmer of hope that perhaps she could reject everything these people were saying as fiction, and go on with her everyday life leaving all this craziness behind. Staying on point though she pressured the elder for more information,

"How does Eva play into all this? Why get her to help when you have an entire magical community at your beck and call?" Peri wasn't shocked in the least by Eva's involvement, she had almost expected to hear Eva mentioned when she summoned the elder, but that didn't explain why Eva was a part of all this, and that's what was bother Peri. That and the fact that Eva had not told her sooner.

"You needed a surrogate, and the gypsy could go between planes as only a Shuvani gypsy can do." Peri was flabbergasted the woman she spent most weekends with, someone she considered her best friend, and had shared intimate details as girlfriends do had been her surrogate! She had lived inside her for nine months and Eva had never thought once to share this information, and while Peri had always assumed she had something to do with her beyond the day they met or at least the first time she could remember, but still this was more than even she had expected. Phoebe seemed to share her sentiments and voiced them to the elder,

"But Eva was Piper's OB at the time you'd think she would have said something or at least looked different having carried my child for nine months, even if it was in another plane?" The elder yet again shook his head and explained,

"Part of the agreement we had with the gypsy was that upon delivering the child her body and her mind would be wiped of all memory of the event, and not until they next met would she remember. Since Ben was already dead we didn't have to erase his memory, he was to serve as her guardian until she was old enough to receive a Whitelighter." Which brought them back to Peri's original question, one that was burning at the forefront of everything for Peri.

"So what exactly does this have anything to do with you faking my Whitelighter's death?" Peri felt a jolt of grief go through her as she so bluntly put words to such a painful chapter in her life, and she only registered this when she heard Phoebe's gasp, as her estranged mother was dealt another psychic blow.

"Our whole point to keeping you alive was to make sure the prophecy fell on our side. You were supposed to go through trials, hence your past as a foster child. We wanted to see how you could be tempted by evil, and which side you were most likely to pick when the time came. You did beautifully never once using your magic for personal gain, and you tended to be selfless when it came to most things, but still we weren't sure so we placed you in the care of a demonic foster family at great risk to our cause. They first tempted you, then hurt you, and finally tried to kill you, all in an attempt to get you to choose the side of evil. It was then we decided you had earned the right to a whitelighter," Piper cut him off before he could continue,

"You mean to tell me you a supposed paragon of good, terrorized a little girl from conception to test HER! What kind of monster does that?" Peri raised up her hand before Piper could go on as she knew she would have, and said,

"What they did was unjust and cruel, but what's done is done I've come to terms with that. The thing I don't understand is lying to me about it, did Jack know?" This time no pain coursed through her at the use of his name only a deep longing that went beyond the question, and straight to the heart of seeing him after all these years past, and knowing he didn't know who she was, and wondering exactly how much he knew before.

"Yes he did, we sent him because he was the most loyal to us. He was a soldier before and after becoming a whitelighter, and we thought that if he could guide you in the right direction we might be able to try once more to avoid the prophecy. We didn't expect him to help it come to life, but then again this family has a history of turning whitelighter's from their chosen paths." The elder look pointedly at Piper and Leo, something that went completely over Peri's head, as she waited for him to continue,

"When he found out you were pregnant he decided to take it upon himself to tell you all he had been instructed not to." The elder stopped for a second giving Peri the chance to say,

"He didn't know about the twins, I never got a chance to tell him." The elder shook his head,

"Whitelighter's are very in tune with their charges especially Jack, he could have told if one of your heartbeats was irregular without even being in the same room with you, much less if you were carrying a child. We tried to stop him from telling you, but someone else ended up doing that for us. We felt Jack dieing, and came down to save him, we were almost too late there is very small period of time between death and a soul moving on to revive them. We knew the only way to ensure he wouldn't tell you, was to wipe his memory, but it didn't go as we planned," Paige snorted at this and said,

"Hah, that seems to be a patter for you guys." The elders face tense and he continued as if uninterrupted,

"Jack fell from grace not two months after we took his memories. We couldn't track him since he had rejected his powers, and soon he was gone completely from all mortal record as well. We don't know where Jack has been for the last six years." Peri had finally had enough, and stood from the chair barely able to keep herself from physically attacking the elder.

"How dare…" But before Peri could finish he elder interrupted her,

"We know what we did was questionable, but at the time it was the best course. We hope that from now on we can put this behind us, and look toward the future. There is a threat coming, as strong as the avatars and as lethal as the source, and we need everyone on our side to defeat it." Peri laughed mirthlessly at this, and said numbly,

"You will never redeem yourself in my eyes or that of my fatherless children. Get out, and don't you dare ask for my help after what you've done to me, ever." Without a word the elder orbed, leaving only his indentation on the couch and new found information burning at the forefront of everyone's minds.

Peri stood her back facing her estranged family, and as she went to turn around to face them there was a knock on the door, and as she waited as Paige went to get it she thought about what the elder had said. And while Jack held the highest place in her thoughts, exactly why he attacked her was the dominating puzzlement. After all he was a human now having rejected his whitelighter half, and yet he fought like a…a…demon. Before Peri could delve more into the painful topic, she saw another unwelcome surprise.

"Darryl?"…

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Hope you enjoyed, 

R&R it's like Yin and Yang or cookies and cream only it's reviews and story.


	18. Of innocents and darkness

Of old friends and darkness.

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"Darryl?"…Peri's heart felt heavy, like a large tangible rock inside her chest. Her whole life had been upturned since that fateful premonition, and no matter how much crap happened nothing seemed to get fixed, only more broken. She stood looking at her friend, the godfather of Carter and Gwen, and couldn't help, but feel slightly relieved if not a little confused. After all it seemed his was the first familiar face, that didn't harbor some sinister role to enter her view this entire day.

"Mind telling me how you know these lovely ladies, because if it's how I think, you're about to be in the dog house?" Peri said semi-jokingly, and crossed her arms, looking rather perturbed, but before she could get really mad at him she noted his nervous stance, and guilty face.

"It's a long story." He croaked out, and Peri took pity on him, if only because he looked to upset and rather torn as he scanned the room meeting, something Peri would qualify as the stares of shame.

"Well you can tell me later, I've had my share of long stories today. I need to go check on my innocent." Peri said briskly, and asked Leo which room he had put the boy and his father in, and then without another word, made her way to the kitchen where Leo had lead the two earlier.

In the kitchen she found a rather familiar sight, a child wrapped tightly in the arms of what Peri equated was his security blanket. The father seemed to have made a full recovery thanks to Wyatt, and sat holding his son, hiding his surprise the man gently took the child out of his death grip on him and placed him in the chair. The man stood and held out his hand to Peri, who took it without question giving it a firm shake and introducing herself,

"My name is Peri Wolf, and I'm here to figure out who or what attacked you and your son. Has someone informed you of who we are?" The man nodded in the affirmative, and Peri gave him a warm smile, hoping to ease his nerves some noting his sweaty palms and disheveled appearance.

"Me and Leo gave him the scoop while you were, uh, busy." Henry said somewhat sheepishly, apparently Peri deducted he held the elders in the same accord she did. Peri was surprised that she hadn't notice Henry on the other side of the kitchen's island, but was happy that he had been there to do the grunt work, coming out about the whole magic thing to mortals, was one of her most avoided task, but also a very crucial one.

Peri asked the man his name, and almost as if embarrassed he hadn't said so earlier told her his name and his son, Jamie's. Peri knelt down to get at eye level with Jamie, and he turned his face away from her, Peri understood this after all he had just seen his dad mauled, and been attacked by…_her_ whitelighter.

"Hey Jamie, My name is Peri that's kind of a silly name isn't it? Well I just want to let you know that I'm going to make sure no more monsters come after you okay? And you are very safe here, do you know why?" Peri asked the child using her softest tones trying not to spook him more so than he already was. Unfortunately it had become second nature to do this for her children and sometimes even her adult innocents, because like most victims Jamie was worrying most about what would happen next which for a kid usually translated to fear.

"Why?" Jamie whispered, and Peri smiled knowing that he was coming around, by the quiet curiosity in his voice.

"Well let me show you." And handed him an apple from a center piece in the middle of the table,

"Now chunk that apple as far as you can." The boy looked up in surprise at her, and said,

"But I'll break something." Peri smiled and shook her head,

"Can you trust me Jamie?" This was crucial if she could get Jamie to trust her even with something this simple, it might mean everything later. Jamie looked at her uncertainly for a time, but than as his curiosity got the best of him he nodded his head, and chunked the apple as hard as he could. Peri watched his pupils dilate to the point where his light brown eyes were consumed by the growing black dot at the center of his eye, as he watched the apple stop short of the window pane it was headed towards, and as if held by an invisible hand make it's way back to him landing in his upturned hand.

"That was so cool." The boy said astonished, and Peri laughed softly,

"Well Jamie magic is cool, and right now you have all the good magic in this house to protect you, and trust me that's enough magic to protect half the globe, and it's focused solely on you." Jamie looked up worriedly for a second and asked,

"And my dad too right?" Peri nodded, and said,

"That goes without saying." With that Jamie smiled for the first time since she saw him, and Peri couldn't believe that a child like Jamie could be turned so evil, it was unimaginable, but then so were most vicious acts.

"See dad I told you magic was real, just like that man said." Jamie said to his father, who Peri noted seemed to still be trying to grip the situation as he stared aimlessly at the apple that still rested in his son's hand.

"It's Henry right?" Peri asked, turning toward Henry who was looking contemplatively at her, when he nodded, Peri asked if he could take Mr. Kline into the other room so he could answer some questions about what happened in the house. Both Peri and Henry shared a knowing look as Henry led the oblivious Mr. Kline out of the kitchen, so Peri could question Jamie without his father there, that and the fact Peri could see a man about to break down from a mile away, and his son didn't need to see that. She was just glad Henry seemed to understand this, and expertly maneuvered Mr. Kline out of the room.

"So Jamie, tell me about this man?"…

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Henry took Mr. Kline upstairs to one of the bedrooms, and left him in there promising to be back soon. To which Mr. Kline seemed very grateful for, Henry noted Mr. Kline's vague expression, and knew he was still in shock not that he could really blame the man.

Making his way down the stairs, Henry heard the commotion downstairs before he saw it, apparently during a hushed argument Piper had frozen Darryl, and was refusing to unfreeze him.

"What's going on down here?" Henry asked, knowing that no one not even Leo was going to be reasonable at the moment, because whatever had been said the Halliwell's in this rooms looked ready to fight against reason.

"Piper won't unfreeze Darryl." His wife said through gritted teeth, Henry felt a little out of the loop, but deciding to play the peace maker he asked Piper's side, which resulted in what he Henry would categorize as a collaborative Halliwell growl from all sides of the argument.

"He lied to us for 22 years, he's lucky I didn't blow him UP!" Piper barked, to which Leo tried to comfort her by putting his hand on her shoulder, which was then slapped away as Piper stared at Darryl rather menacingly.

"Technically he's only been lying to us for five or six years." Wyatt added feebly referring to the fact Darryl didn't remember Peri until sixteen years after finding out about her. Of course for Piper this meant very, very little.

"Unfreeze him right this instant!" Peri said coming into the room looking very disheveled at her friend's predicament.

"Stay out of it." Piper said not seeing like the rest of the room had Peri's true state, something Piper would soon regret.

It happened in the blink of an eye, and if it hadn't been for the fact that everyone in the room was too shocked to blink no one would have seen it…

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"Darryl? You okay?" Peri asked as she caught him just before he fell forwards.

"What? Did you freeze me?" Peri looked at him incredulously, and rolled her eyes.

Darryl had almost forgotten what it was like to be in the confusing tornado that was the Halliwell's. He could have sworn he was trying to explain to Piper about Peri, when…and he also could have sworn the room was full, but now it was just Peri and him.

"Do I even need to ask?" Peri simply shook her head at her long time friend, and making sure he was balanced enough she let go of him, and lead him toward the front door.

"Wait, Peri, we need to talk." Peri knew her friend was right, but she also knew that if what Jamie told her was true, the demons were closer than expected, and the last thing she needed was Darryl getting hurt because of her witchy-ways.

"Oh no I know that look, your about to give me the ax aren't you?" Darryl asked, looking rather annoyed, to him it seemed things were back to the way they were 20 years ago, and that was not a routine he was interested in getting back into.

Peri could hear the elephants pounding down the stair again, and she knew that the motley crew had unfrozen.

"Look Darryl, unlike them I am going to brief you…But later, okay? I have a kid to save, but if your unwilling to stay totally in the background, go to Ava's that's where Gwen and Carter are, and wait there. I think I can wrap this up in a few hours. After that I promise we'll talk about all your little secrets 'kay?" Darryl didn't have a chance to agree as Peri quickly opened the door and maneuvered him out before soundly shutting the door behind him.

Peri was glad to see him shake his head in defeat, and walk toward his car without too many muttered curses, because she knew the moment her estranged family made it back down here, she was going to have a lot to explain, and not very much time to do it. As if on cue she saw them head toward her down the stair minus Wyatt and Henry.

"Took longer than I thought it would." Peri said simply hoping to play down the situation as best she could.

"Well if Paige had orbed us it might have taken a little less time." Piper said scowling at her sister who replied by rolling her eyes and saying,

"I thought you could use the walk to, I don't know, maybe calm down a bit?" Phoebe was the first to note Darryl's absence,

"Where's Darryl?" Peri was about to answer when Piper interrupted her,

"Yeah where'd you shimmer him, Timbuktu?" Again Peri was going to explain, but before she could Leo interrupted with,

"I get how you could shimmered us into another room, that's a demonic power, but freezing is a witch power it should have only worked on Henry and I?" Peri was slightly puzzled by this, but then remembered something Jack had once told her, about her powers.

"My demonic half allows me the ability to use my witch powers on other witches. It's probably one of the reasons the elder wanted me too…well not to exist." Piper still looked annoyed, but her anger seemed to deflate when she realized the truth of Peri's words, of course this didn't stop her from asking rather perturbed why Peri had used her magic on them.

"Well to be honest, I needed to get him out of the house sooner rather than later, and by the look on your face that wasn't going to happen till you chewed him out for something he had no control over, and I simply don't have that kind of time." Peri realized as the words left her mouth, that considering whom she was dealing with they might not have been the best choices. This was confirmed when Piper turned on her heel and headed up to the attic without a word or explanation why.

Peri couldn't believe how her life was going, and while she felt on the edge of going numb and exploding she knew she had very little time to do either, and to make matters worse Peri for the first time since waking up in the solarium actually looked at her estranged mother who stood stalk still staring after her sister. A sight as unwelcome as it was heartbreaking, because while her logical mind had already deducted that Phoebe Halliwell was indeed her mother, the other not so logical side was trying so hard to pretend she wasn't, and now looking at her mother seeing so many similarities between her and herself the truth was undeniable. Not only did she look like her, her children looked like her especially Gwen, the same nose, cheekbones, hair color, right down to the dainty hands that looked so very delicate, and could be so lethal.

"Honey, are you okay?" Paige asked, tilting her head to the side as if inspecting Peri for visible wounds.

"I'm fine." Peri said automatically, not really registering the looks of concern from her _aunt _and _mother_. Peri felt the floor move beneath her, and her heart speed up dangerously all in the same second…Peri felt her knees buckle, and heard rather than felt as her head hit the ground while her arms did nothing to soften the blow, she heard drowned out voices surround her felt herself being lifted from the floor, but the darkness was so very welcoming, and she descended into it…

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TBC.


	19. Of Vacant Minds and Pulses

_Darkness. _

_Fallen. _

_Blind. _

_Drowning_…

It wasn't so much the ache that had embedded itself in her cranium, but the jarring silence that woke her. Peri stood erect in what she would call a blind room, it wasn't dark it was darkness itself. No light, no seeable structures, if her hands hadn't been hugging her body in fear she wouldn't have known she was there either. The silence was unbearable, it felt like it was compressing her, pulling on her like quicksand in the desert. This wasn't right, it wasn't logical, and while not much in Peri's world was this was something…biologically wrong. She felt her hand twitch involuntarily; it swung away from her body searching madly in the darkness. If Peri was confused before now she was completely dumbfounded, and more than a little scared. Her body seemed to be moving of it's own volition, and no matter how hard she tried to fight well…Herself the more out of control her movements were. Her legs were moving her backward toward more darkness, and her arms seemed to be going in the opposite direction. Peri's scream ricocheted off invisible walls, when her back hit hard against what felt like a giant rock, Peri's body came to a stall, and she felt impossibly strong arms engulf her form pulling her down from the darkness, and into the depths of a nothingness.

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_ I can't find a pulse…I can't find a pulse…_ "I can't find her pulse!" Phoebe yelped in anguish as she looked up at her sisters who had helped her carry Peri to the couch, all the while Paige trying to heal what she could not. The dead.

"Piper, she can't…it's not" Phoebe's muttered words were not lost on her sister, though they were having as hard a time excepting this as she was. One minute she was alive, talking, defending herself, the next she was gone.

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"Piper? What happened?" Leo asked coming into the foray, and seeing Peri yet again unconscious, only this time no one was trying to heal her. In fact no one moved a muscle, except for the silent tears he saw sliding down his wife's cheek. Phoebe was sitting on the floor in front of the couch her face buried in Peri's lifeless hand, next to her was Paige who stared blankly into space with a look of sheer defeat in place of the look of determination his sister-in-law usually wore, and Piper stood looking down at Peri her hands hanging useless at her sides, and an air of utter devastation and this…this worried Leo most of all. This was a look he had only seen his wife wear twice in they're years of marriage, first when Prue died, and second when she miscarried a few months before conceiving Melinda.

"What happened?" Leo asked again, though he already knew the answer, it was unconscious between the sister's, and she wasn't breathing…

"Jack?" She asked once more, and from the looks of things for the very last time. She felt her heart seize when he came into view wielding a wicked looking knife, that was drenched in blood. She gave herself a cursory look, thankful and fearful that it wasn't her own.

"We have matters to discus, my little Albatross."…

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Okay so obscenely short chapter, but I'm going on vacation, and won't be able to write for another week so I thought I'd give you this, and hopefully when I get back it will be a good place to start a much longer chapter.


	20. Of Bloody knives and Difficult charges

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Of Bloody knives and Difficult charges

Peri wasn't one to back down. Period. Even so as Jack came closer she couldn't help that for every step he took forward she took two back. The bloody knife was held non-threateningly at his side, and Peri paid it no heed, no her eyes were only for the figure slowly advancing on her. He looked exactly the same, jet black hair perfectly trimmed, striking blue eyes, lean athletic body that seemed to move more like a cougar than a human, the only difference was the twisted grin that had taken the place of the warm smile Peri remembered. This frightened her more than the knife, more than the strange parallel world he seemed to have brought her to, and more than the threateningly slow pace at which he stalked her, not because of the look he was wearing, but because of who he was. She had only seen Jack look this...feral...once before, and for whatever reason he now wore it for her.

Seven years earlier:

Peri was living in the attic of an elderly couple for 100 a month, she paid this by working as a mother's helper for 4.50 an hour for the couples granddaughter. Jack was still on ice with her after he so abruptly entered her life five months passed, and she couldn't help, but resent his presence especially since she felt she didn't need him as oppose to when she did, and he wasn't there. Jack understood this even though she didn't verbally tell him, but still he persisted even as she pushed him farther and farther away, it wasn't long before Jack started orbing in every day if only to watch as she nervously paced around her small attic room.

At fifteen Peri looked and acted like she was much older not that she had much of a choice especially since she was on the run from not only demons and the underworld, but the government as well since she escaped from her demonic foster parents.

For Jack this is what drew him to her more so than he had with his other charges she had been thrust into the cold world with no soft places to land nor a strong hand to fall back on, she spent her days working tirelessly to make ends meet and study for her GED so she could go to college, all without complaint. This alone wasn't something abnormal after all witches and magical creatures were often thrown into things they didn't necessarily choose or want for themselves just the same as mortals, but what made Jack stand up and take notice for Peri was that she didn't ever once resent her powers, herself, or her circumstances. She always seemed to take everything in stride, no hurdle was too high, and no amount of work deterred her if she wanted something, or was forced to handle a situation she set to work at it immediately chipping away at the problem till it was solved. Not to say she didn't have her problems and issues, and that wasn't really the point Peri was by no means perfect in fact it was that she was so imperfect, and such an anomaly that made her able to do all these things most would have balked at.

So when on one of Jack's daily visits, this strong willed independent woman sat wringing her hands in her lap and biting her lip like a small child whose waiting for their father to come home after getting into a fight at school, he knew something had to have gone horribly wrong.

"What happened, Peri?" Jack asked getting to the point as fast as he could; afraid some invisible something was terrorizing his charge, and at any moment things could go bad, fast.

Peri's head was down, her hands nervously picking at her shirt hem, and sitting rigidly at the foot of her twin bed, when she finally met Jack's eyes he saw the tears shimmering behind them refusing to fall refusing to fade away.

"I never wanted...I never told you... I never intended to. Oh god what am I going to do?" Peri asked the cycling, as she held her head between her hands.

Peri's serious yet cracked tone made Jack even more nervous, but instead of voicing this he simply crossed his arms and waited for her to continue, ready to spring in action if the need arose.

"I don't like you, but not for the reasons you think. I mean you are an arrogant jarhead, and you tend to be an overbearing presence in my life, but this is nothing I can't handle, and under different circumstances we might have gotten along as witch/demon and whitelighter. Of course now I'm going a little off topic aren't I?" Jack waited while Peri gathered her thoughts something she seemed to be having trouble with. He couldn't say he was surprised by Peri's summation of him though it did chafe a bit that her opinion of him was so low, after all the hours he put in trying to convince her otherwise. Though that may have been the problem perhaps he was trying too hard to earn her trust and acceptance, but now he was getting off topic, and as he watched Peri rise shakily to her feet and gently pad around the room seemingly deep in thought he was brought back to the problem at hand. For some reason his charge was nervous, and uncertain of herself, and perhaps just a little bit scared?

"Whatever's wrong we can work it, but have to tell me what happened?" Peri paused her pacing for a moment and looked at him with an expression Jack would describe as conflicted, but before he could question it she resumed her pacing, and continued though this time without pause or break in her speech.

"I need you to teach me how to drive."

Jack tried he really, really did, but it wasn't long before he was on the floor laughing harder than he had in...well longer than he could remember. He knew this probably wasn't the best tact after all she did seem to be having a lot of trouble with this, but the idea that he had been waiting for some 'evil incarnate' to come busting in at any minute only to realize that the evil had four wheels and an engine was...adorable.

Peri on the other hand did not find her whitelighter's behavior in the least bit amusing and adorable was only sort a up there on the list accompanied by jackass, and a few other colorful pet names.

"Are you going to help me or not!" Peri asked, her voice strained with some mixture of rage and oddly enough happiness. For it was almost impossible not to feel some semblance of joy as she watched her whitelighter the serious, soldier boy, crusader of good, and constant annoyance in her life, roll on the floor in what had turned into a fit of laughter like an overgrown kid.

When Jack finally did recover Peri looked very close to socking him, but before she could lift her hand against him, he grabbed hers in a reassuring gesture, and said with what Peri would call his most charming smile "Come on darling, we'll go to the drive through and I'll give you a few pointers." Peri almost growled, "Ooo feisty, by the way do you have a car?" Jack asked, to which Peri playfully but painfully gouged her elbow into his rib, to which he let out a very unmanly yelp.

Laughing at his pain Peri told him where she had put the old ford truck she had been stashing away till she got the courage to ask about the whole driving thing.

Soon they were whirring away in a glow of blue orbs, what they found when they're bodies met they're destination was far worse than the beaten down ford Peri had been anticipating...

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This chapter was hard for me, I couldn't really get the words out, and since I've been working a lot of long hours, I've had to rewrite a few incoherent sentences, but hopefully it came out enough where you can get the gist. I really want to tell the story of Peri and Jack, but they have so much to tell, and are in quite a pickle in the time of my story. So it will probably come out in bits and pieces as the story continues.

R&R Carter's a sucker for those things.

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